Of Lambos and Seekers
by Daenerys Starcatcher
Summary: Shameless PWP, sticky, cracktastic, and canonically a fragged up mess but that's okay! Chapter 16 is up! Now part of the Twins and Trine series. The story lives, guys!
1. Chapter 1

_Crack RP fic. Everyone needs a bit of it, every now and then. Because then it's something to look back on and just say "GUH!" later._

_A huge, gigantic, major, Guardian-sized shoutout to Katea-Nui, whose portrayal of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are utterly awesome._

_I was Starscream. (Like THAT shocks anyone.)_

_Pairing(s): Sideswipe/Starscream, Sideswipe/Starscream/Sunstreaker_

_Rating: M. NC-17. Not for young audiences._

_Warnings: Sticky interfacing, oral, crossfaction, threesome between male-personality Cybertronians, hints of D/s, one human curse word, PWP, RP-fic. Also, twincest. But you knew that was coming._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

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><p>Starscream dropped to his knees, looking up through slitted optics with a slight smirk on his dark lips. "Please. Want it. <em>need<em> it, now...anything you want if you'll just take me, right here, right now."

Sideswipe stared down in surprise and no small amount of lust at the gorgeous Seeker on his knees in front of him. Whatever turn of fortune had led him here, he didn't know, but he'd be damned stupid if he didn't snatch it up. He growled, gripping the dark chin in strong (but hesitant) fingers. "You want what, Screamer?"

Starscream looked up, lazy defiance in every slight twitch of his wings. An undercurrent of lust was evident in his low tones as he felt heat wash through his sensor net, why, he wasn't sure. "Something...different. You know Seekers, or else you wouldn't play in the sky. Want to be taken by _you_, and I know you want it too. Otherwise you wouldn't spend your function with your hands all over us...all over me." He reached down and trailed a finger down his chestplate... all...the..way...down.

The crimson ex-gladiator barely repressed a violent full body shiver, instead letting his venting shudder as he released the heated air his vents had pulled in. Bright baby blue optics were locked on the finger's trail, his armor feeling as though it was he who felt it, a burning sensation in the finger's wake. His optics drifted back to the hooded ruby gaze of the 'Con Seeker. He didn't know where this had sprung from. He was also far from scared of it. He didn't have much experience with control; that was Sunstreaker's claimed role in their lives, but this was... Far too good to just pass up. Sideswipe reached out with the servo not holding the Seeker's face in place and grasped the wandering servo before it could reach it's intended destination. "Why."

Starscream whimpered slightly, not wanting to be denied. His hips moved, an unmistakable jerk, and he jerked his head to the side, just enough to have access to one of Sides' fingertips. "Because. Isn't that reason enough? Don't you want to say that you had me, any way you want me? Hard, fast, slow, gentle, against the ground, behind..." He drew the finger between his lips and sucked hard, the meaning unmistakable.

Heat flashed behind Sideswipe's panel, his spike stiffening even as his valve lubricated from long practice. The wet heat around his finger gave testament to what was to come and a wicked, domineering grin flashed across his slightly grey faceplates. "You want me, Screamer?" He hummed faux-sweetly, pulling his finger from the Seeker's mouth and angling his helm meaningfully, panel sliding aside as his spike, halfway to pressurizing, extended. He was still hesitant, morals and loyalty warring with lust and need. But still his voice dropped a few pitches, rumbling in his throat. "Gonna have to work for it."

"This isn't work, _Sides_." With a long look up at the red grounder he extended his glossa to lick at the tip of his spike, delicate little brushes that morphed into a long, wet suction as he moved forward on his knees, taking every bit of Sideswipe in a single movement. Star knew that Sides was going to pressurize in a hurry;- he'd have to be deactivated not to. He prepared himself for this, relaxing his intakes to deep-throat the frontliner with every indication of pleasure.

Sideswipe's vents catch, sudden and unexpected wet heat closing over his now quickly pressurizing spike. He groaned, unable to fight off the shiver now trailing down his spine as Starscream's mouth takes the full length of his spike into his throat, flexing on it. He had... honestly not expected the Seeker to go for it; Seeker pride and all that slag. But frag... FRAG if this wasn't just the hottest thing he'd ever felt.

Starscream just hummed around the length that was jammed halfway down his intake before drawing off in a rapid motion, bobbing his helm quickly with a continual suction and flicking that generally drove mechs to their knees, Megatron included. His wingtips twitched fetchingly and his covers retracted, releasing unbearable pressure, and incidentally, a long wet trickling of lubricant that betrayed his own need. It showed how much he was getting off on this submission, displaying himself, _debasing_ himself. He drew off completely, optics offlined and lips parted. "Please. In me, want to feel you hard and fast and _**now**_."

The smell of heated lubricant assaulted Sideswipe's olfactory sensors and he groaned, both in want and disappointment as the pressure on his spike disappeared. His hands shot out, gripping the top edge of the tricolor jet's wings and clamping hard. With a harsh tug upwards, he hauled the Seeker to his feet and pressed him against the wall, his own body vibrating with the tight control he was managing to keep. He shoved one thigh between Starscream's, his black hands on cherry red hips, pinning them in place as he pressed forward. "Frag, you know how hot you are when you're begging?" He whispered hoarsely in the jet's audio. "You really want it that bad? Want me to shove my spike inside you and slam you into this wall until your vocalizer cuts out?"

"Yes! Please, please, oh Primus..." Starscream shook at this, how could he _know_, yes, the arrogant SIC brought low by clenching hands on his wings, slammed hard, those same wings impacting and sparking lightly on the wall, spread wide, unresisting. His helm fell backward and he arched his back, moaning at the idea of this, the words.. "I want it, want *you*, Sideswipe, please, please..." His tone is needy as he ground himself down on the intruding thigh, slicking it up, wanting something IN him, especially now... "Touch my wings. Slam me. Against the wall. I'll do anything."

Sideswipe moaned, burying the sound in Starscream's throat, his denta scraping the sensitive lines. Primus, this was just hot. He and his brother had conjectured what 'facing the Seekers might be like, but Sideswipe himself had never expected it to happen. This was heating his circuits in ways he'd never imagined. He pressed his other thigh between the Seeker's legs, situating his painfully stiff spike at the entrance to the slick, quivering valve. The frontline warrior dragged his hands, harsh in his haze of pleasure, out along the white expanse of Starscream's wings before situating them on ruby hips and pinning them to the cave wall. "You want hard and fast?" He breathed, voice a deep timbre. "Why don't we... Make this last instead?" He pushed the first few inches of his spike into that wonderfully scalding, clamping and leaking heat, denta gritted against the urge to surge forward.

"Oh-OH. Nnnngh PLEASE!" Starscream could feel the stretch, the heat, the stiffness that resembled solid cybertronium but was soft and textured and so-fragging-SLOW. "Tease, fragging tease, I...unh!" His helm fell back, wings twitching against the wall, his hips trapped but trying to surge forward anyway. He could control the clench of his port, though, and he did...clamping down almost impossibly hard, making his tight heat even more constricting. He was dripping wet, well on his way to overheating, and he hadn't even started yet.

Sideswipe gasped, hips jerking in response to the clamp and his helm fell forward to rest on Starscream's shoulder with a moan. His digits dug into plating spasmodically and he pushed in a controlled slide despite the tight cycling of the seeker's valve until he was completely seated. The tip of his spike caressed the heated ceiling node, and he let out a shaky gust of hot air at the faint pulse.

"Harder. Please. Please, Sideswipe. Just a little." Starscream gasped, legs about to buckle beneath him. "Touch my wings, too..." His own hands trail around, seeking the hot spots on a frame he really has no familiarity with. He stroked the red twin's helm, then the shoulders, scratching his claws lightly down Sideswipe's back. The tips find a seam and he tweaks a wire found there, thrusters tapping on the ground below.

Sideswipe jerked, his control slipping as the sky blue digits slip into seams where his jet pack connected to his systems. He pulled out, yanking the seeker from the wall. "Hands and knees!" He demanded.

Starscream dropped immediately with a soft keen, aft trembling in the air, wings quivering at the ideas that flashed through his meta. Oh, this was one of his favorite positions, as an attentive lover could both frag him senseless and play with his his wings, all while Star ground backward... oh, yes, he wanted this. "Want you. In me. Make me feel it...make me not _think_..."

With an answering growl, Sideswipe knelt into position, his servos scraping out along Starscream's wings once more before grabbing the top edge and jerking Starscream onto his spike HARD. He groaned, leaning forward to nip, lick and suck at the wing hinges within reach as he started a brutal, pounding rhythm.

"OH PRIMUS YES!" Starscream was immediately plunged headlong into a devastating overload, his body arching up and his voice breaking halfway through the cry as he jerked himself backward to meet each thrust with near-perfect rhythm. "More, more, oh frag yes, f-frag...damn..it more!" His valve clamped down further, almost making the stretch painful but not quite, hot fluid running down his thigh from the rim of his overstretched port. "Wings, Sides, so good, so slagging, fragging, fucking good." The human curse fell freely from his lips, and his optics flickered offline as he corkscrewed his hips and leaned further forward, head now touching the ground.

Optics flare and flicker, lighting the dark cave with eerie bursts of iridescent blue. Starscream's overload isn't enough to send him over and he ground hard into the clutching depths of the SIC's spasming valve once, twice... On the third denting thrust Sideswipe bit down on a wing edge, burying the sound of his own overload into the heated plating of the beautifully twitching wings held taut and high in overload. Heated transfluid flooded the tight passage, and Sideswipe clings until his frame relaxes from the stiffening effects of the overload. "Dear fragging Primus... "He breathes, licking apologetically at the deep seeping dents from his denta.

"Nn-NNNNN oh my Primus, I-I can't...what happened to me..." Starscream was held up solely by the wall of the cave, limbs jerking spasmodically, his body overheated almost to the boiling point. "I...don't you EVER tell anyone about this, understand?"

Sideswipe's lips press into a thin line. 'Way to ruin the afterglow, Screamer.' He thought. Aloud he just snorted, mumbled an irritable whatever and pulled out with a hiss. Copious amounts of transfluid and lubricant coated his spike and Starscream's thighs. Despite himself he smirked. "S'not like anybot would believe me anyways... Maybe Sunny..."

Starscream moaned loudly at the thought of both of them taking him together before he can catch himself. "You can tell *him*." His knees collapsed then, and he sat down hard, back pressed against the cold stone.

Sideswipe just smirked. "Already knows." He tapped the area above his spark. He stood on shaky legs and sat against the opposite wall from the jet. "Not bad for a 'groundpounding dirtkisser', huh."

"No, and I suppose I do all right for a sparkless flying war machine." Starscream returned, though without much heat. He hadn't considered their twin bond...but Sunstreaker was even more intense and hot than his brother, and the thought of having them both was enough to send his fans to whirring again at their highest level. _Slaggit. Why am I...never MIND._ he thought.

Sideswipe shrugged, ignoring the prodding from his brother. "Wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"What what was all about?" Starscream asked with genuine curiosity. "Seekers like to frag. That's pretty much all there is to it. That and you two always seem so...adept at finding our weaknesses." _Not telling what even I don't know._

Sideswipe stared. Silence stretched before he blinked disbelievingly. "You practically begged me, a groundpounder and an _Autobot_, to 'face you because Seekers like to frag...? Pardon me if that sounds a little farfetched." Sideswipe considered the second part of what Starscream had said. "And wings are wings. Never considered getting the chance to put my hands on them in this sense though."

"Told you I wanted something different. I get...tired of fragging my trine." Starscream shrugged. It sounded weak even to him. "Don't you ever crave variety, or do you 'Bots mate for life?"

Sideswipe would have made the comment that he's already bonded for life but he just shrugged again. "Can't say I haven't always wondered..." Here he leered at the Seeker, optics traveling the lithe length of the airframe. "But I really don't have much to complain about. Sunny's good at what he does... How long do you think until they realize we're both missing from the battlefield?"

"Oh, won't be too long. Old Bucket Head is going to want to scream at me for certain, due to his own ineptitude." Starscream snorted, obviously not looking forward to it.

"Just doesn't give you a break does he." Sideswipe isn't one to be sympathetic towards a 'Con (let alone Starscream) but even he knows when it's unfair. He opens his mouth to say something else when there's the sound of shifting rocks from the caved in entrance and suddenly his golden counterpart is standing there with a scowl and staring disdainfully at his scratched and dirtied paint.

Starscream felt a sudden urge to try and crawl into the wall- it was painfully obvious what he'd been up to, with his panel wide open and Sideswipe's transfluid still streaking his thighs. He said absolutely nothing, though, not even rising to his feet... His response was only a defiant look, tinged with smugness and a hint of humor.

"Heya Sunshine!" Sideswipe chirps, unworried about the mess coating his own thighs, although HIS panel is closed now. "What took you so long?"

Sunstreaker turned a glare on his brother, his optics shifting down to the mess on his brother's legs. Well wasn't that just a delicious sight? Ice blue flicks to the similar mess on the winged occupant of the cave before trailing lustfully to bright crimson optics. A devious smirk pulled at his lips. "What's this? Looks like I missed a show."

"A show. I suppose you could call it that, unless you were too busy getting your aft kicked out there to pay attention.." Starscream said casually, but not cruelly. Those icy optics had a way of drawing you in, he noticed...almost hypnotic, and definitely beautiful. Beautiful and terrible. Sunstreaker certainly was that... rumors said that Sunny was a berserker, more arrogant than even _he_ was, and horridly possessive over what he thought was his... Starscream smirked, testing that theory. "Your twin's a fine frag." he informed Sunny with a smartaft grin.

Sunstreaker stiffened slightly, possessive anger swelling as his optics swing from his brother's pleased faceplates to the seeker again. "He is." He said simply, crossing his arms in front of him. "His valve is nicer though." He smirked as anger/embarrassment/affront floods the bond.

Sideswipe fought the urge to shove his face into his palm and glared daggers at his brother, faceplates heated. What the frag was wrong with his twin!

"Hm, I don't know. Made me scream against that wall over there. I don't spike often...you're pretty enough, though. Can you scream against the wall, Sunstreaker?" Starscream was taunting him, a little, his systems already reheated. What _was_ up with this, anyway? Did Sideswipe call Sunstreaker here? Starscream was mystified.

Sideswipe preened with smug pride while Sunstreaker stiffened further. Nobody but Sideswipe was ever allowed to touch his valve, especially not some dirty 'Con. "So I guess it's true what they say about Seekers being cheap frags." he sneered. Starscream wanted to bait him. Fine. Two could play at that game.

Sideswipe now looked at his brother warily. _/Sunny... He is still Starscream. Don't do somethin-/_ The bond snapped shut and he stared at his brother in disbelief and a little hurt.

"I am _never_ cheap, groundpounder. Which, as a nickname, is ridiculously accurate. Pounding is certainly what happened here just a short while ago...and I'm considering returning the favor. Sideswipe wants it, I bet. Had me one way, wants me another. Think Sunny wants to watch me frag you just the way you like it?"

Sideswipe shot an alarmed look at the Seeker, standing and glancing at his brother expecting to find... Not what he was seeing. Sunstreaker was looking at him consideringly. Interest danced in the battle hard optics.

Sunstreaker hmmm'd as he looked between one and the other appraisingly. "He does like a good pounding..." He murmured as if to himself. He nodded suddenly, looking the Seeker in the optic. Do you _want_ to spike him, Seeker?"

Starscream purred. "I always did like to be watched, and you say he makes it good...wonder if it's better than having him pound me...says I'm sexy when I beg, you know that?" Starscream rose fluidly, sex evident in every twitch, every small movement, and approached Sideswipe. "Want it, Sides?"

Sideswipe hesitated, glancing between his brother and the approaching jet. His brother's bond snapped open again and he was swamped with the power of his brother's lust and fantasies. He shuddered and moaned quietly, the soft sound bouncing around the enclosed space.

"That's a yes, Con." Sunstreaker smirked smugly, moving fluidly to stand a few feet away. "And who says I'll only be watching?"

"Mmmm. And what's that supposed to mean?" Starscream knew damned well what that was supposed to mean. He slid over next to Sideswipe and smirked at Sunny before bringing his lips to the red twin's, making him taste the lingering bitterness of himself from earlier mixed with the unique sweetness of Starscream. Remembering what he'd done just a few moments earlier, he dipped his clawtips into that sensitive area, where Sideswipe's jetpack resided.

Sideswipe groaned and pressed into the surprise kiss, not having expected that either. He tilted his helm to the side, sealing their lips together more thoroughly. His glossa flicked at Starscream's teasingly, fingers tracing over the golden glass of the jet's cockpit.

Sunstreaker's optics darkened with arousal as he paced around the liplocked mechs. Judging by the sheen he could already see on the rim of the Seeker's valve, Starscream wouldn't need much preparation (especially considering that he had been sufficiently stretched by his red twin mere kliks ago). Sideswipe, on the other hand would still be too tight to enter without getting hurt. Sunstreaker wasn't fond of people damaging his things. "His audio horns produce the funniest noises." He remarked offhandedly, as if critiquing a work of art.

"Mm, really. Not familiar with your type..." Starscream said offhandedly, running his fingertips over the smallish horn, dragging his head down so he could lick the other. His spike was already more than ready, but 'Con or not, if you wanted to keep fragging Autobots, you made damned sure they were both willing and ready before you did it. Besides, Seekers just didn't take what wasn't freely offered...especially not Starscream.

Sideswipe squeaked before a shudder tripped its way down his spinal strut. He reached to retaliate, even as the feeling of his valve lubricating made him squirm. Dark fingers traced into pectoral vents to stroke at the vent fans inside.

Sunstreaker echoed his twin's shudder, optics appreciating the delicious sight as his cortex sought to memorize this moment for painting later. He moved forward with a growl, running his servos down both of their backs, golden digits slipping into an exposed valve and demanding entrance at the closed paneling of the other.

Starscream hissed, the slickness of his arousal and Sideswipe's fluid smoothing Sunstreaker's way easily. His port had reset, though, making him as tight as he had been before Sideswipe had taken him hard against the stone. Those fingers stretched him wide, though, and he spread himself a bit more to allow for easier access. He sucked on the horn, then, flicking his glossa against the sensors he found there, much like he had Sides' spike earlier. Sideswipe's fingers teasing his fans brought a soft series of moans, and Starscream forgot he was in the presence of two of the deadliest 'Bots in the faction, two who'd tried to offline him (and vice versa) more times than he cared to count, and he threw himself into the pleasure, the moment, the desire. "Take me while I take your brother." he hissed to Sunstreaker, his crimson optics flaring with lust.

Sunstreaker's efforts on Sideswipe's panel were rewarded by a sharp click and the panel sliding aside. The red grounder yelped as two digits shoved their way into his dripping valve, making him buck and then moan. The seeker's suggestion, though just barely registering, sent a deep-seated need crashing through his systems. "Primus!" He breathed.

Sunstreaker looked at the seeker critically, digits stilling, remaining half buried in Starscream's valve. A sultry and arrogant smirk pulled at the golden warrior's lipplates. "Kinky."

"Don't stop that...please..." Starscream hastily added, having a fair idea of the golden twin's volatile nature. He brought his hand down as well, circling Sidedswipe's outer nodes with two fingers, pinching lightly as he worked his mouth down the side of Sideswipe's neck cabling, sharp little nips followed by a steady suckling motion.

Sunstreaker snickered, pulling his digits completely from the clutching valves to the tune of dual whines of disappointment, which prompted another round of snickers. He examined the glistening lubricant that coated the first two fingers of each hand idly before pressing them to the opposite mechs' lips before commanding, "Suck."

Sideswipe complied immediately, long vorns of experience with his brother informing him that the sooner his brother's demands were met, the sooner he got his own overload. His lips closed around Sunstreaker's digits, creating a seal as his glossa lapped at the tangy/bitter of the unfamiliar fluids on his twin's plating.

Starscream drew those fingers in, glossa dancing along the tips, licking the slick lubricant off them with almost frantic feelings. Tasted different, but not bad, oh Pit no- Sideswipe did taste as good as he looked. He glanced at Sunstreaker, then- oh frag yes, *this* was the dominant one, the one who expected his orders to be followed without question, who would likely give him just what he wanted yet again all while he fragged the red twin... hopefully until he screamed Starscream's designation loudly enough to be heard on Cybertron.

Sideswipe almost whined in disappointment again as the digits pulled out, cleaned and glistening with oral fluid now instead of lubricant.

Sunstreaker pulled away with calculating optics, suave grin set firmly in place. "How rough do you think he can take, Screamer?"

Starscream looked piercingly at Sideswipe. "You tell me...you have him all the time. He probably likes it hard and fast and good and filling...and I can certainly do that, I can fill him up with all that I have."

Sunstreaker's optics darkened. "He likes it big." The smug grin Sunstreaker wore was telling and he moved behind the Seeker, shoving forward so that Sideswipe was crushed between the cavern wall and the slightly bigger Seeker. Sunstreaker himself pressed himself along the length of the jet's back, fingers digging brutally into wing hinges. "I want you to frag him hard, Screamer." He whispered obscenely. "Spread him wide and frag him, but remember," The golden digits relocated to red hips, giving a little push. "_I_ control the pace." He finished on a deep base growl.

Sideswipe gasped, absolutely loving the feeling of being pinned by the warm, lithe frame. He would never say it out loud. No need to give the slagger some sort of advantage. But _frag_ if all of this wasn't setting his circuits ablaze with want.

"D-d-don't call me Screamer!" Starscream keened, his voice indeed taking on a piercing note. He edged Sideswipe's thighs apart, noticing just how wet he really was. His spike teased the rim of Sides' port, small drops of prefluid oozing from the slit in Starscream's spike. He knew that Sideswipe had loved hearing him earlier, so he decided to spice things up a bit..."Want me inside you? Sunstreaker's watching, and he told me to frag you hard. Want that? He's controlling our pace, so it'll be like he's fragging us both..." Star had done something very similar with his trine before... among other things.

Sideswipe shivered, hands grasping at Starscream's helm. "Yes, yes, yes, _YES_!" he whined, pulling the dark faceplates to his for another deep kiss. His legs spread wider to accommodate the red hips.

Sunstreaker purred, allowing the pressure built behind his own panel to be released with a sharp click. Sideswipe had a decent sized spike. Sunstreaker's was both slightly thicker and slightly longer than his twin's and was colored black with golden patterns. He rubbed the leaking head against the back of Starscream's thigh. "You first, _Screamer_"

Starscream groaned and parted Sideswipe abruptly, his hips moving relatively slowly for now as he accustomed himself to the incredible tightness and the presences both in front and behind him. "Please, Sunstreaker, now.." he whispered, jerking a bit faster, a bit harder, a bit more forcefully with every movement. "Feels so slagging good..."

Sideswipe moaned low, his helm falling back with a clang against the stone at his back as his valve is stretched by the decent spike. The pressure to the interior nodes was exquisite and his hips push into the slow, shallow thrusts, wanting it deeper.

Sunstreaker growled ferally, waiting for Starscream to pull almost completely out of his twin before slamming forward with a great amount of force, his spike sliding home into the tight heat and his hips pushing Starscream back into Sideswipe _hard_. His brother's surprised keen is music to his audios.

"Oh oh oh oh fragohfragohfrag!" Starscream shuddered wildly, keeping the pace set, biting at Sideswipe's neck cabling but nowhere near hard enough to dent, much less pierce. Sideswipe was Sunstreaker's, and Starscream respected bonds of most sorts, even if he wasn't sure of the extent of theirs. The feeling of the yellow twin's brutality drove him insane and his valve clenched down in a spiral, wanting to make Sunstreaker feel as good as he was feeling.

Sunstreaker gritted his denta against the flood of lust and success, slowing the pace to a lazy circling of his hips. His hands clenched warningly on the Seeker's wings. A reminder of who was in control here and and a warning for him not to dare to speed up.

Sideswipe whined, hips twisting up at the suddenly slow drag of the thick spike in his valve. He hoisted a leg up to hook over Starscream's hip, allowing a different angle, making him keen.

"S-sun-sunstreaker, please, harder, faster!" Starscream begged shamelessly, trying so hard to submit to Sunny's demand, his body fighting him every step of the way. He grabbed Sideswipe's other leg and balanced it right beside his shoulder vent, increasing the angle of entry so as to stroke the really deep nodes.

Sideswipe's optics widened as he slid down the wall some. Only Sunstreaker had ever been able to get that deep before. It was exquisite. But it wasn't enough. The charge was building too slow. "Please!" He gasped, squirmng. "Pleeease!"

"He's right, you know." Sunstreaker whispered in the Seeker's audio. "You're pretty when you beg. You both are." His pace increased incrementally, his spike pushing deeper, thrusts becoming more demanding until with a snarl he snapped foward, shoving the flier with him.

Star moaned helplessly, carried along for the ride and oh what a ride it was. With every bit of speed Sunstreaker allows, he plunged deeper, the feeling of filling and being filled driving him insane. "Primus. Ohhh Sunstreaker, harder, please, so big and hard and please- oh don't stop...so slagging good.."

Sideswipe was incoherent with each slow pull out and harsh shove back in. He whimpered and moaned little half formed pleas for more, harder, dammit Sunny, HARDER!

Sunstreaker smirked evilly into the white wings before reaching around to grasp his brother's onyx hips and he pistoned forward powerfully with as much force as if he were in battle back in the pits.

"Oh my PRIMUS!" Starscream shrieked, thrashing between the twins, wings quivering high on his back, a soft hissing hitch in his voice. Oh, he'd never had it like that, squeezed between two and used this way. Sure, some mechs were rougher than others, but Sunstreaker...his intensity was just so improbable and hot and insanely good that he couldn't help himself. "Sunny! Sides! Yesyesyesyes!" he cried, jerking harder into Sideswipe. "Do you like that, Sides? Do I fill you enough? Scream for me, scream my name..."

Sideswipe's helm whipped from side to side, the power of Sunstreaker's thrusts propelling the Seeker into his valve and tearing down every wall of restraint he had left. He cries, begs, _sobs_ for it to never stop, just don't stop! His hands gripped Starscream's wings and clamped down _hard_ as the charge finally peaked and he broke, a harsh scream tearing from his vocalizer. "_STARSCREAM_!"

Sunstreaker surged like the tide of a mighty ocean, sparks flying where his hips ground against Starscream. His breathing was ragged, his lips pulled into a snarl. He leaned in, pressing more of his weight on the Seeker and consequently his brother, limiting the crimson frontliner's thrashing. "Shatter for me, Star." He husked almost inaudibly in the Decepticon's audio as he released his brother's hips and clawed down the Seeker's wings harshly.

The force consumed him. Sideswipe's shriek started it, the rolling charge headed straight for his spike, shooting through his sensor net in ways that threatened his sanity. Sunstreaker's thrusts continued the crawling charge, the feeling of losing it completely and totally and utterly beneath the golden twin... and then the harsh whisper slams into his processor. Without conscious thought he followed the order, his spike filling Sideswipe, hot transfluid dripping back down his pulsing hardness. His valve clamped down like a vise as he screamed wordlessly, the scratches on his wings and the dominance causing his optics to flare white, his body almost convulsing in pure, sweet pleasure. "Sunstreaker! Frag yes, oh you feel so fragging good, so big so deep soooooHH..." His vocalizer rebooted, and he lost his words, able to make only incoherent sounds of pleasure. "Ah-ah-nnn-ah." he chanted loudly, unable to speak with sense, barely online, unable to move.

Sunstreaker's roar of completion echoed in the cavern, the sound ringing in everyone's audios as his spike erupted. The hard jet of transfluid filled the seeker's spasming valve and he thrust inward several more times, still harsh and slamming. He concentrated to allow his overload to transmit as a hard wave over his bond with Sideswipe before he slumped strutlessly. His legs shake and he locked the joints to prevent himself from falling to the ground gracelessly.

Sideswipe stiffened as a second overload tore through his still charged circuits, his valve clamping on the spike seated in him as answer to his brother's release. He slumped against the tricolor seeker with a soft 'nnnngh', drained and sated. His valve continued to flex weakly in aftershocks of pleasure. Primus, he felt completely worn out and he let his helm fall back against the wall again, the reverberating clang bouncing off the walls in the post-overload silence.

Starscream wilted, held up only by the fact that he's between two frontliners who are likely just as affected as he is. "I...what the frag was _that_?" Starscream asked in wonder, his tone raspy. "I've never..not even with my _TRINE_ did that feel like...that."

Sunstreaker smirked with all the pride in his spark. "I'm just that good." He paused to consider. "And Sideswipe is a good frag."

"Slagger." Sideswipe groaned, glaring at his brother with dim optics before he looked at the tired Seeker. "Can let my legs go now, Screamer. Otherwise they'll lock like that."

Starscream said rather weakly, "Don't _call_ me that." but he released Sideswipe anyway, noting that his shoulder vent is a little sore, not to mention his valve. The valve-ache is the good kind, the REALLY good kind, so he ignored it, slipping out of Sideswipe and moving off Sunny to flop almost in a heap on the cave floor.

Sideswipe grunted as the seeker pulled out, copious amounts of fluids draining down his thighs. He slumped down the wall into the forming puddle, but doesn't indicate he gives a flying frag. He reached tiredly for his brother who pulled him into a lazy kiss. He then snuggled into the warm golden plating.

"Cuddler." Sunstreaker accused softly, the affection a stark contrast from the dominating beast from just moments ago. He sniggered at Sideswipe's sleepily mumbled demand to shut up. He looked at the thoroughly-reduced-to-goo Starscream with a thoughtful hum.

Starscream just laid there, feeling a bit left out...but since when would he want to cuddle with a bunch of Autoslag? Even if those Autoslag had just fragged him into oblivion. So he just laid back, optics online but not seeing very clearly.

"You know, I wonder..." Sunstreaker murmured, regarding the seeker with a critical optic. Sideswipe tiredly 'mmm'd' from his lap, halfway to recharge. "Are all Seekers this much fun?"

Starscream mumbled softly, already half in recharge. "Wouldn't *you* like to know."

Sunstreaker just grinned, gaze drifting to the small opening where beyond there was still a battle taking place.

_**~fin~**_


	2. Chapter 2

_By popular request, here is part 2. And we renamed this mess, because apparently it's taking on a life of its own. Our little crack AU is fuuuuun!_

_Pairing-Starscream/Sunstreaker._

_Rating: VERY M._

_Warnings- dubcon (at least at first), light bondage, a bit of painplay, Starscream's dirty mouth, hints of D/s, crossfaction, CRACK, RP-fic. Also...plot? What's that?_

_Thanks to Katea-Nui, whose Sunstreaker is incredibly awesome and she stimulates my muse to RP more stuff like this for everyone's enjoyment. Thumbsup!_

_Disclaimer: Own nothing. Too bad, that, because twins and seekers are hot..._

* * *

><p>The sun was bright and the wind was barely a breeze in the wide clearing that Sunstreaker found himself in that day. The ARK had been getting a little confining as of late and he'd found his temper shorter with Sideswipe away on a mission. So without his normal outlet (mainly fragging his twin into the berth) he'd opted to use some of his downtime away from the idiots his lifecycle seemed to be comprised of.<p>

He sat, silently contemplating the canvas in front of him with a gimlet optic. The color and contrast of the lake and grass seemed off. He nodded shortly, going back to his paints and remixing colors before setting about fixing the mistakes.

_Finally away from the noise, the chaos of the Nemesis, not to mention being underwater... _Starscream had never liked that part of being on Earth, among other things, but the claustrophobia got to him more than it did the others sometimes. Plus, Skywarp was on monitor duty, and TC was off somewhere else... so Starscream flew. He rose from the water, glistening in the sunlight, heading straight to the west as if chasing the sunset. After a short while, though, he saw something below him that was certainly...interesting.

Sunstreaker's nose was nearly touching the wet canvas of his painting as he examined the soft lines of the waves lapping at the shore. He leaned back again, satisfied and started in on the soft blue of the sky. He watched the sky beyond the lake for a moment, helm tilting before his gaze turned to his palette to begin mixing the new colors he would need. Earth's sky was always an interesting mix of colors, never the same blue twice.

_A beautiful sight indeed,_ Starscream thought as he cut power to his engines, not really wanting to alert the mech below him to his presence just yet. Sunstreaker...incredibly dangerous, incredibly _hot,_ and only partially attainable. Star had had him once before, in a chance meeting with both twins, and he remembered what he'd asked him before they even began.

_"Can you scream against the wall, Sunstreaker?"_

Starscream knew, instinctively, that Sunstreaker undoubtedly preferred to use his spike during interface, much like Starscream himself preferred his valve. However...a mech always wants what he thinks he can't have, and that port was probably tight as _frag_...but how to do this? Starscream glided downward onto the ground some distance away, knowing the frontliner's sensors were advanced, but that he was distracted as well.

Sunstreaker growled, irritated with himself. The blue was off by a shade and he'd run out of white. He'd thought he'd had enough, but then he'd remembered that Sideswipe had _borrowed_ it when his brother had gone and painted Mirage green with white daisies as a creation day gift for Hound. The spy had not been thrilled and while it had been funny at the time, it was certainly annoying now. _You can't _replicate_ white! _ He threw his paintbrush down, cursing his brother ten ways to the pit.

Starscream almost laughed at the little display of temper; it was just the distraction he needed to slip up behind the golden frontliner and try a few things. Moving as silently as he knew how (and oh how he wished he had Skywarp's teleportation ability right now), Starscream slipped behind Sunstreaker and grabbed him, fully expecting a fierce struggle, perhaps a few blows to the head, and other indignities on his person. He was at least _partially_ prepared; he had a set of stasis cuffs he'd swiped from Skywarp's berth. Getting them on Sunstreaker might be more of a challenge than he was anticipating...

Sunstreaker's rant was cut short with an indignant yelp of surprise as he was lifted from the ground. Instinct activated and he lashed out, the mech behind him obviously not his brother. He snarled, twisting around to strike out at his enemy, elbow connecting with a shoulder or something and he caught sight of... a white wing. "Starscream!" He hissed, his struggles increasing tenfold.

"Damn straight, Sunstreaker." The shoulder impacted with his chestplate and that fragging _hurt_, but Starscream wasn't going to give up that easily. He grasped both of Sunstreaker's wrists in one hand, struggling the entire time, and attached the cuffs...hopefully tightly enough to keep his hands bound at the very least. "Stop thrashing around...at least, for now. I'm not going to _harm_ you. I just want to...discuss some things." Boldly, and perhaps stupidly, Starscream ran his glossa lightly across Sunny's left helm-fin, leaving little doubt as to what Starscream wanted to talk about.

Sunstreaker tugged sharply at the cuffs, irritated when they held firm. Then his entire frame stiffened when he felt that sinfully warm glossa trail along the tip of his helm fin, leaving a cooling wet trail. His lip curled in disdain, and he snarled, twisting and catching the Seeker's wrist in one of his bound hands and twisted. "Frag off!"

Starscream winced- frag, this glitch was _strong_. He wrenched his wrist away, though, toward a stout-looking tree, and Starscream decided to chance things and loop the mech's bound wrists over a thick branch, just to keep him from getting free. "Frag off, hmm. That is _exactly_ what I intend. I just figure I'll have to...convince you first. Wouldn't you like to have me alone, Sunstreaker?" Starscream licked along the other fin, sucking gently on the points.

Sunstreaker jerked his helm back, optics ice cold and glaring sharply at the Decepticon. "Not a chance, flyboy." He hissed, kicking out even as he twisted his wrists in their restraints. Both the branch (although it creaked s bit) and the cuffs refused to snap. "You better hope I don't get these things off! I wouldn't mind having a pair of Seeker wings to hang on my wall!"

Those optics boring through him did funny things to Starscream's body, specifically his interface array. "You won't do that, Sunstreaker. You know why? Because I'm about to blow your mind." Starscream moved up on the golden twin and slammed his hips against the tree, holding him in place. "Remember, though..." Hot breath ghosted over Sunstreaker's panel. "If you _really_ want me to stop..." He licked the seams of that panel, quite thoroughly, hands still holding on tightly.

Sunstreaker's vents startled and then stalled, the tip of the Seeker's glossa teasing along the sensitive seams of his interface panel, and his optics shaded darker with almost immediate arousal. Images arose unbidden and in perfect detail to his artist's mind, Starscream's face contorted in pleasure, the way his spinal struts bowed under his thrusts, wings hiked high... Even through the bond, when Starscream had wrapped those pretty, dark lips around his brother's spike, it had been him he'd placed there.

His denta clenched down on a whine, but he continued to stare down at the seeker, fighting to keep his glare.

Starscream smirked, then, reaching up with a single finger to manually release the catches to Sunstreaker's interafce array. He knew what he _wanted_, what he had planned, but to do that he had to further distract Sunstreaker or else he'd never give it up willingly. Starscream fluttered his wings and sank gracefully onto his knees, looking up with those crimson optics alight in a way he _knew_ was fragging sexy. "Open for me, _please_." The last word came out on a soft moan. "Want to taste you, Sunstreaker..."

A sharp rev of Sunstreaker's engine was the only thing that belied the sudden arousal coursing through the golden frontliner and his spike cover retracted, spike already well on its way to pressurizing fully. Oh Primus, and here he'd been thinking his day would be a bust. Then again, Starscream could still be planning to shoot him... but what a way to go.

The tip of Starscream's glossa danced around the flared head of Sunstreaker's spike, lapping up the tiny drops of fluid that dripped from its tip. His hand gently stroked the shaft, mouth lowering, as Starscream used every talent he possessed on the warrior's thick spike, humming at the slightly bitter taste. Starscream moved his hand and took Sunny down deep, flexing his intake like a valve, and his fingers reached down to trace directly over Sunstreaker's valve cover, just the tips, moving in a circular pattern that Starscream used on himself when he self-serviced.

Sunstreaker's hips jumped and despite the wet heat of Starscream's mouth and throat, he stilled at the foreign touch on his valve cover. Only his brother had ever touched him there, and that wasn't often. He preferred to do the spiking, just as Sideswipe preferred his valve. They completed each other in many ways. Sunstreaker just did not allow others at him. That felt like he was giving up too much of himself. He growled warningly at Starscream's action, optics narrowing.

Starscream sucked harder, his dark cheeks almost hollowing as he bobbed slowly up and down, not pressing matters just yet, continuing those slow little circles, his other hand rubbing Sunstreaker's inner thighs right at the juncture where his legs met his crotchplate. He moaned, his own hips jerking slightly in time to his suckling motions, and drew off for just a moment, swirling his glossa around the tip. "Like that, Sunstreaker? I do. Love the feel of you...wonder what your valve tastes like...I'd love to tease it with my glossa while you shake around me."

"Don't..." Sunstreaker's demand choked off on a moan, his hips jerking as Starscream's speaking blew teasing breaths across his stiff spike. His helm fell back and he groaned, the absence of sensation on his spike bringing to fact that his valve was beginning to lubricate under the deviously soft touches on his valve rim. The cover was still firmly shut, but the warrior squirmed, the sensation just unfamiliar enough to be uncomfortable.

I will, because I can tell you want it." Starscream's hand stroked Sunny's spike while his glossa replaced his fingers on Sunstreaker's valve cover, delving into the seam that he wanted so badly to open. His hand clenched and flexed, and his thumb smeared slick fluid all over the head of the spike. Starscream looked up, then. "Just let me. No one will ever know, I'll make it so good for you. Then I'll suck you off, if that's what you want." The words came hotly from Starscream's lips, accompanied by a long lick up the closed panel, around Sunny's spike, and back down again.

Sunstreaker groaned, the feel of the firm but soft glossa slicking against his cover far more pleasant than it should be. His hands clenched and unclenched in the restraints, and he was surprised to find that he wanted to know what Starscream's glossa felt like _inside_ of him. When he let Sideswipe at his valve, it tended to be very straight forward, Sunstreaker unwilling to go further than his brother's spike. Curiosity (and arousal) gave in and his cover snapped aside after some fumbling with the codes.

Starscream moaned aloud in exultation and didn't disappoint- his glossa danced around the rim of the lightly leaking valve, while his right hand held Sunstreaker against the tree, his left hand teasing the outer nodes, rubbing the largest between two fingers as he finally plunged into Sunny's port, liking what he found very much. It clenched tightly over his glossa, so tight and underused, and Starscream felt his spike pressurize painfully behind his plating. He didn't release it yet, though- he wanted Sunstreaker to really want it, to beg him for it. And Starscream knew he was good enough to do it, too. The hand that had been holding his hips grasped Sunny's spike, stroking it in time with the broad licks and quick little flicking motions.

"Oh Primus!" Sunstreaker gasped, not sure if he should buck forward or grind down. He bit his lip, shuttering his optics and allowed his helm to fall back against the tree, giving himself to the feelings. His valve was lubricating much faster now, and he squirmed.

The sound of that _voice_, that needy cry, almost drove Starscream half insane right then and there. He kept at it, though, plunging his glossa in and out almost as if it were a spike, Sunstreaker's lubricant wetting his face in a heated tide. He moaned loudly against the rim, his fingers slipping down to wet them, then gliding over his anterior node in a hard rubbing motion. His other hand slips just a single finger inside, caressing the sensors just beyond the rim, while Starscream's glossa circled the entrance. "You don't know how much I want you, Sun." he groaned. "Love to fill you up, then let you have me however you want me."

Sunstreaker yelped, almost a squeak, when the finger made its way into his valve, the component clenching over the intrusion. He wasn't quite nsure if he liked it, but he was unwilling to let it just end. Then Starscream spoke and he moaned at the ideas that assaulted his processors. Primus, any way he wanted the Seeker? He whined, engine revving hard and shaking his plating. His pedes dug into the grassy earth beneath him, digging furrows into the ground.

The moans assaulted Starscream's sensornet and he slipped another finger inside, gently stretching, moving slowly at first against the nubs and exquisitely tight walls of Sunstreaker's valve. He scissored his fingers slowly, moving to suck on that outer node he'd been teasing with only a fingertip. The tip of his glossa flicked against it as he created a slow drag, thrusting faster as he felt the frontliner grow wetter and more needy. His finally allowed his panel to retract, freeing his throbbing spike to the cool air, his own port almost as hot and wet as his partner's. Breaking for for just a moment, he looks up. "Can I have you, Sunstreaker? Spike you?' That was accompanied by a dragging thrust, a finger curling to tease a sensor cluster. He returns to he flicking suction, moaning like a slut at the fantasies his mind was conjuring up.

Sunstreaker shuddered, venting a shaky intake as he contemplated. The ache in his valve said he very much wanted and liked the idea. His pride warred with his arousal and he stared down at the jet, deciding. His own lubricant stained the Seeker's dark lips and chin and the fingers still gently pumping made him ache in ways he had never felt... not even for Sideswipe. "Nobody knows?" He had to confirm that.

"Nobody knows. Winglord's honor. Which still means something to me." he said almost bitterly. His fingers never stopped moving, though, and he added a third, thrusting a bit deeper, thumbs on that node as his lips returned to that soaked rim, gasping and waiting for Sunny to just say yes already. Starscream felt an obscene want, his spike twitching in anticipation of being swallowed by that clenching heat.

Sunstreaker hesitates to debate with himself again, staring down at the gorgeous Seeker, seeing the _very_ well proportioned spike and he breathed in deep. The charge was building slowly, far too slowly than what he was used to in this position. Finally, almost like a paintbrush dragged across a canvas in a sure stroke, Sunstreaker gave a sharp nod.

Starscream slowly stood up, raising Sunstreaker's cuffed hands off of the now-cracked limb. He looked into those ice-colored optics and his knees went weak. Starscream lowered the golden frontliner onto the ground, expertly releasing one hand to reposition them in front, then recuffing him because Star wasn't completely sure about Sunstreaker's temper. Once he had him on his back, his knees nudged those bright thighs apart, and he slid himself between them, the wet tip of his spike tracing the rim of Sunstreaker's valve. Starscream grabbed Sunny's hips and positioned them slightly off the ground and slowly slid in, keening aloud at the sheer tightness, and most of all, the forbidden nature of having the reportedly psychotic Autobot twin underneath him.

Sunstreaker went stiff, the stretch of the much larger spike almost painful. The, as soon as the initial pain of the stretch burned away, his helm flew back and dug into the grass and _keened_, voice echoing in the clearing and he overloaded just from the sheer _pressure_ of someone far bigger than his brother entering him... And OH PRIMUS was it good and he thrashed, valve clamping even as his cry tapered off, trailing into a high whine.

"Sunny...!" Starscream gasped, the clenching almost sending him over before it ever got started. He controlled himself with great effort, though, slowly hilting himself, allowing overload-sensitized nodes to calm somewhat before he did what he _really_ wanted to do and frag Sunstreaker like he'd had taken Starscream.. His optics blazed. "Like that, hmm? Filled all the way up, bound and helpless under me? Love to hear you cry out, want you to cry out to _me_, Sun." he said, thrusting just a bit harder, withdrawing and driving back in with more force each time. His cooling fans whined, already at their limits, and condensation dripped from those white wings onto the grass beneath them.

Sunstreaker hissed and cried out with each pull out and each push back in. His sensor nodes were on fire, and his valve clenched with an unpracticed rhythm, practically spasming with each thrust. He writhed, hips grinding up and back arching. Golden thighs clenched in response to each thrust, but were still spread wide under red hips. The Autobot frontliner's voice echoed in the clearing with each cry and curse that fell from his lips.

Starscream lost himself in sensation, the responsiveness of Sunstreaker, his cries and moans and gasps shooting waves of pleasure throughout his entire form. He raised Sunny's right leg onto his shoulder, slightly changing the angle at which he thrust. Starscream leaned down and nipped the left helm fin, beginning to thrust harder and faster, hips almost clanging into the Autobot warrior. His wings trembled and his own cries, higher-pitched, mingled with Sunstreaker's in the clearing. "Ohprimus yes, you feel so fragging good under me.' He pinned Sunstreaker's shoulders with his hands and drove into the mech, nearly screaming in pleasure, his impending overload threatening to blow out something important.

Sunstreaker squeaked at the change in angle, too far gone to be embarrassed by it. The spike felt so Primus fragging perfect and for one moment he hung there, wondering if this is why Sideswipe preferred his valve, the stretch, the slow onlining... And then Starscream really began pounding, and he could feel his pinned shoulders strain under the Seeker's grip, his hips gouging into the Earth and probably leaving an imprint behind. He could feel and hear the provocative slide of fluids as their equipment met and words he never believed would fall from his lips broke through the flood gates.

_**"Harder! Oh, Primus, please, /HARDER!/"**_

"Aaaaannnngh...don't know how long I can hold out, Sun...overload for me, pretty grounder, want to feel it, scream for me, say my name, say it _now_, Sunstreaker!" Starscream drove into Sunstreaker as hard as he could, sparks spitting and flying at the extreme stimulation and friction, Star's systems about to offline out of sheer pleasure and overuse. He panted through his mouth, but lowered his lips to the cabling in Sunstreaker's neck anyway, biting hard enough to draw a thin trickling of energon that tingled on his glossa. He felt his spike swell in preparation for overload, and he grabbed those hips and _ground_ into his partner with a shriek. "SUNSTREAKER OH FRAG YESSSS!"

"STARSCREEAAAAAAAAM!" The cry rang in his audios as well as the clearing, scaring several roosting feather mammals from their trees with squawks of protest. His entire frame tensed, became taut like a finely tuned weapon and his valve clamped down on the intruder, convulsing where its owner would not. The echo of his cry seemed to go on forever, and then Sunstreaker collapsed, vents whirling and chest heaving as he panted, optics unfocused on the sky and thin lips open with his pants. His limbs shook with residual energy and the warm pooling and dribbling against his belly suggested his spike had overloaded as well, warm transfluid making a sticky mess between them.

"Oh dear PRIMUS!" Hot transfluid filled Sunstreaker to the brim, its excess slipping from the rim of Sunstreaker's overstretched valve. Starscream shuddered wildly, falling upon the frontliner, his optics darkening almost as if he were knocked offline by the intensity. The random rippling and twitches of Sunny's valve shot even more electric pleasure up his backstrut, and Starscream groggily moaned, "If.. if you still want to have me, I suggest...I suggest waiting about half a joor." His helm fell backward with a dull clank.

Sunstreaker chuckled, hands clenching and unclenching in his restraints. "Even taking it, I'm just that fragging good." He purred, purposefully clenching his valve down hard. Starscream's weight was surprisingly... pleasant. That didn't mean he was going to make a habit of being on bottom. He wasn't fond of the idea of being seen as weak. He squirmed a little, feeling the Seeker's fluid slosh around in him, the large spike acting like a plug and he grimaced a little. "Gonna unlatch me?"

Starscream moaned at the clench; for a supposed novice Sunny was damned talented. His hand reached over and fumbled with the cuffs, releasing Sunstreaker's wrists, and Starscream couldn't find it in himself to care. "I'm calling temporary truce. I don't think I can _move_ right now. That was...intense." His whining vents echoed that sentiment.

Sunstreaker snickered. "Better be able to move. Not sure I'm too fond of the sloshing." He grimaced again, shimmying his hips to make his point. "Not exactly comfortable with no place to go." That and he had no want to lay there, pinned under the 'Con and have one of the aft-shafts from the ARK come looking at him... this was... kind of compromising.

Starscream sighs and rolls off of Sunstreaker, releasing himself from the still-twitching warmth with a trembling gasp. He glanced at Sunstreaker, devoutly hoping he wasn't planning on violence now, at least not the unwelcome variety. His systems had barely calmed themselves, but his valve was positively _aching _because Star remembered what it felt like to have the golden twin inside him, hard and fast and utterly claiming...and he wanted that again.

Sunstreaker hissed in aftershocks as the spike pulled from his valve, and then he shookhimself off, staring at the jet appraisingly. And then he pounces. It's lightning fast, as is most everything Sunstreaker does, and in no time he has the jet pinned under him, wrists held in a tight grip and a smirk curving his lips. "You know, Screamer... That was pretty nice..." He leaned down to nip at the golden cockpit lightly. "maybe I should... return the favor."

Starscream gasped, and his hips rose to meet Sunstreaker with an inarticulate groan. "Ahh..told you, do what you want with me, just for frag's sake. .Nnn...don't _tease_ me!" Starscream shuddered at the nips and at just the _idea..._ Sunny was fragging hot even in the heat of battle, and even moreso here. His lips twitched in a small grin. "Anything. You. Want." he repeated.

"But what if I _want_ to tease you?" Sunstreaker murmured, one of his fluid stained thighs pushing between Starscream's. "What if I want to see you squirm and beg before I pound you so far into the dirt you won't remember you have wings?"

"I ...oh, _frag_." His legs spread wide, admitting Sunstreaker between them, and Star decided to fight back, just a little. He ground upward, struggling just a bit against the hold, lips trembling as he ran the tip of his glossa over them. "Dare you to try, Sunshine. Can you take me so hard I won't be able to find the sky? Till I offline from exhaustion?"

For a moment, Sunstreaker's optics flashed and he scowled, pressing down harshly. "Don't..." He said through gritted teeth. "Call me Sunshine." The threat in his voice was thinly veiled, but the scowl quickly morphed into a rather evil looking grin. "And are you challenging me, Starscream?" He moved his searching lips to the Seeker's neck. "Did you forget what happened last time you challenged me?" He ground their exposed interface arrays together. "Or did you want a reminder?"

"Remind me." Starscream said in a challenging tone. "I think I've forgotten." His hips ground against Sunstreaker, and he tilted his head to allow him better access to his sensitive neck cabling. One leg drifted around Sunny's hips, driving him closer. His wings shook against the grass, and he pushed them back, the feeling of the soft blades tickling sensors left untouched due to his bindings earlier. A soft word slipped out, "Please..."

"Begging already, Star." Sunstreaker chuckled, his spike now repressurized and rubbing against the inside of Starscream's thigh. "So pretty when you beg. I think I like that." He shifted his grip, fingers raking down the sensitive wing flaps.

"Can't _help_ it...fraggit..." Starscream couldn't stop his vocalizer from pleading any more than he could stifle the gasps that fell from his lips at Sunstreaker's harsh touch. "N-not as pretty as _you are_, I never could have guessed you liked it like I do, Sun." he purred.

Sunstreaker stiffened slightly, embarassed at his reaction. "I would know." He replied tightly. "I've never... enjoyed it that much before." His voice holds a note of slight confusion. It really... hadn't felt like that before. Sideswipe was skilled, sure, but he'd still always preferred his spike, even with his brother. Then his ego returned. "And of course nobody could be as pretty as me... You're a close third though."

"Mmmm, that's because you never had _me_ before." Star himself vastly preferred being spiked but..._damn _Sunstreaker had been so hot and finally willing. "You are pretty...for a grounder. You _and_ that twin of yours. Did he feel it when I took you? When you screamed my name?" Starscream's voice was far from that annoying screech, now; a low tenor purr that sent shivers through Starscream himself just from hearing it.

Sunstreaker snorted, suddenly pushing forward in a sharp jab, sinking half of his spike in the wet, tight heat. He groaned, hands clenching where they rested on Starscream's wings, denting the metal and leaving finger shaped molds in the panels. "Hah! I have more control over the bond than _that_." He snickered after the initial wave of pleasure had lessened.

Starscream bit his lips hard, stifling the scream that came bubbling up at Sunstreaker's powerful entrance. "Oh! Uhh ..too bad, bet he'd liked that. Does Sideswipe like to s-see you...ohPrimus..helpless in pleasure?" Starscream's wings flexed in that crushing grip, the feeling sending that peculiar mix of pleasurepain that he adored through his sensornet.

With a rock backwards and another sharp jab forwards, he hilted himself completely inside Starscream, leaning his weight over the seeker, glossa snaking out to flick at the dents in the Seeker's lips. His servos grabbed the back of Starscream's knees and he pulled up, hooking them over his hips, spike sinking deeper. He gave a subsonic growl, lips slamming over the seeker's and glossa pushing in to taste.

"Oh _yes_." Starscream cried, his optics shuttering right before Sunstreaker's lips and glossa swallowed his cries in a dominating kiss. They hadn't kissed before; it felt almost too intimate, even though Star had actively been seducing the frontliner. His legs wrapped around Sunny, and he clenched his valve around his more than adequate length just as Sunstreaker withdrew, almost as if trying to keep him there. Sensors lit up and the charge grew, licking across yellow-scarred white plating in a delicious wave.

Sunstreaker pulled out of the kiss, unsure himself as to exactly why he'd done it. Perhaps he was curious again... he'd seen Starscream kiss Sideswipe and he'd wanted to know... Starscream had a taste that was all his, and it wasn't bad. Still, Sunstreaker relocated to the seeker's neck, biting and sucking at cables as his hips pistoned forward in a steady rhythm, hard enough to be in control but still soft enough to tease.

"Sun, please!" Starscream cried as his backstrut snapped upward, trying to urge the golden twin deeper inside him. His optics offlined, head thrown back, body shaking in lust. "Harder, harder, please, just...just use me, for frag's sake!

Sunstreaker growled, hips slamming forward in a harsh, wet grind that sparked metal. His servos pulled the Seeker's knees up and out, giving him a better angle to plunge in hard, hilting himself and then pulling almost completely out only to hilt himself again. "You like this..." He growled, lips brushing the Seeker's audio. "Like being under me, my spike inside of you. Like being a slut, being used..."

"YES!" Starscream cried out, admitting it to Sunstreaker and to anyone who might have overheard. His valve spiraled down hard on the invader, overload just out of his reach. He felt like he was drowning, could see and hear and feel nothing but the mech above him, taking him against the dirt like a common pleasure-bot. Sunny's growling tones only made him want _more_. "Please, please, Sunstreaker, I...I _need_... " His voice gave out as he tensed up, wings quivering.

Sunstreaker released Starscream's knees, his hands digging under the Seeker's back to dig at wing hinges sharply. "Need what, Screamer?" He panted, hips thrusting hard enough to push the jetformer up a ways, a groove left in the ground from his hips and the tips of his wings. Sunstreaker repeated himself: "Need _what_?"

Starscream swung his legs up almost around Sunstreaker's neck, jerking back into the thrust with a frustrated keen. "Need...need to overload..." he pants, so slagging CLOSE. The hands on his wings drove him just a bit closer, and Starscream ran his fingers across that beautiful face, over those thin lips.

Sunstreaker nipped at the tips of the fingers on his lips, drawing one in and sucking. His digits dug into Starscream's wing hinges _hard_ and he shoved his spike in deep, his body stiffening and his backstrut snapping as he overloaded, transfluid bursting from the tip of his spike in a hard jet.

The feeling of hot fluid striking the back of his valve made Starscream twitch madly, a broken shriek coming from his dark lips. Glossa on fingers and body close to his, Starscream's optics faded, then flared, his arm pulling the warrior close to him. "So good, Sunny..." he moaned, completely unaware that he was echoing Sunstreaker's red twin.

Sunstreaker let Starscream's finger fall from his mouth as he panted, limbs shaking and shoulders caught in Starscream's hold. His optics shuttered and he ignored the pang in his spark when Starscream's sentence reminded him of his brother, two continents away.

Starscream was wore out. His systems felt abused and beaten half to Pit, but it also felt _good_, a comforting weight atop him. Even if it was Autoscum. He very carefully did _not_ use that term, though, not while he was still clinging to Sunstreaker, not while he was weakened and tired as all frag. "We...need to do this again, Sun." he said quietly, keeping his reasons behind it to himself for now.

Sunstreaker snorted, shifting to try and pull his spike from the Seeker's valve from the awkward angle he was, at the moment, trapped in. "Maybe." He allowed. "Hadn't really planned on getting myself fragged by a Seeker today." He frowned. "This doesn't leave this clearing... Not Skywarp, not Thundercracker... Nobody knows I let you at my valve."

"I promised on the Winglord's honor. To a seeker, that's a pretty important thing." he pointed out, failing to mention that _he_ happened to be said Winglord. "I'm not stupid enough to frag you off that way, especially when I'd _love_ to have you again. Besides, if Thundercracker knew, he positively would not leave you alone. Wingnut _wants_ you, Sun." Starscream laughed, shifting to allow Sunstreaker to move.

Sunstreaker had just pulled out when Starscream spoke. He paused, optics going wide. "What...?"

Starscream snorted. "My trinemate, the blue one, TC, wants to frag your processor out." he said slowly, in a teasing tone.

Sunstreaker blinked, his faceplates not held in the haughty mask he wore. They were honest to Primus stunned. He blinked once. "That... Why? I mean, I get it, I'm beautiful. But... Thundercracker?"

Starscream smirked. "Yes, I don't..or didn't... much get it either, but it's true...he likes you. Quite a bit." Starscream tilted his head. "Better than Skywarp. Primus, putting up with him sometimes...anyway, I just thought I'd let you know..."

"I, uh..." Sunstreaker cleared his intakes, snapping his panel shut. This was an interesting piece of information. "This why he doesn't slag me as much as you and Skywarp do?"

Starscream shakes his head. "No. And I won't tell you why that is, either, because it's not my place to divulge information like that about my trinemate." This discretion seems very...out of the ordinary, if one did not understand trine dynamics. He languidly stretched, still displaying himself more out of habit than any newfound desire.

Sunstreaker's optics couldn't help but focus on the long, smooth lines of the Seeker's body and he stood, looking away before his lust could stir again. "Yeah, well... Sides has had a thing for Warp for awhile... And he doesn't shut up about you since... you know..." He shrugged. "Guess this is where we go out separate ways and all that slag..."

Starscream nods, feeling very odd about all this. "Um." He looked away. not really sure if he should say anything...and then decided to say it anyway. "I'm not sure...I don't know if I can actually try to deactivate you two now. Same with Sky and TC. Just thought I'd tell you. And...maybe we can all get together sometime." The 'Con SIC was unaccountably _embarrassed_ by this, despite the fact that the two had just 'faced each other's processors out moments before. Also, if Megatron found out he'd cannon him for treason, but slag if Starscream cared what that old fool thought.

"Uh..." Sunstreaker didn't know what to say, Prowl jumping to mind, but Sideswipe had heard this entire conversation even if he hadn't felt the overload and he was VERY much in favor. "Sure... I think." He suddenly reached into subspace and pulled out a datapad, handing it over to the Seeker. "Here... for goodwill or something." He turned around abruptly and went to gather his art supplies.

Starscream tilted his head, a genuine smile lighting his face, making him look more beautiful than ever. "I like this. I will be in contact." He turned, waving with just his fingers, and launches himself skyward, the setting sun framing his red and white form. Star executed a complicated loop and twirl maneuver as a farewell before shattering the sound barrier and disappearing.

Sunstreaker stared at the sky, feeling strange, and he rubbed at a red paint streak on his torso before turning back to his art supplies, subspacing and making off for the ARK, an odd little bounce in his step.


	3. Chapter 3

_We're baaack! Though, random question: over 1400 hits, and so few reviews? :,( This makes writers sad pandas! Please review! Thanks in advance, guys!_

_Pairing for this chapter: Starscream/Sideswipe/Skywarp_

_Special warnings: DP, gratuitous use of the word frag, oral, sticky, crossfaction...yeah all that stuff._

_Thank Katea-Nui, she and I put a fair amount of work into this! _

_Still isn't ours!_

* * *

><p>Adrenaline was running high, the rush of a good battle sizzling with each shot of a pulse rifle or blast of a plasma pistol. Sideswipe himself was up on the higher ridges of the canyon, attempting to shoot at Devastator's shoulder joint and having terrible luck at it. The Coneheads (especially Ramjet) had seen fit to target him the entire time and it was starting to get fragging annoying. Really, the next seeker that tried a flyby was going to get Jet Judo'd into next month! He was quickly losing patience with himself, with this battle and with his brother who was currently shouting at him over their bond because Sideswipe wasn't down there keeping mechs off his back. Wasn't his fragging fault Prowl had seen fit to position him on the OTHER FRAGGING SIDE OF THE BATTLE FIELD!<p>

The hum of jet engines made him growl, and he swung around and leapt off the edge at whatever fragging seeker was going to try to nail him in the back again. He hoped it was Ramjet. He'd make the fragger think TWICE about trying to ram him!

Starscream dodged laser fire and a flying minibot, was that Cliffjumper he just saw whizzing past him? Starscream shrugged, looking around and trying desperately to stay out of Megatron's line of sight; the bucket-headed fool had already threatened to lock Starscream in the brig for a decacycle, and he certainly wanted nothing to do with that. Even Soundwave was starting to grow suspicious of his little disappearances, but frag it all, it felt so slagging good to just forget about the war for a little while and just enjoy yourself. And besides, he owed Skywarp a favor. That favor was just ahead of him, his crimson plating shining in the sunlight. Until Sideswipe jumped straight onto Starscream, that is. "SLAGGIT, Sides!" Starscream cursed. "I'm not trying to offline you, for Primus' sake!"

Sideswipe had just grabbed onto the Seeker's wings, holding on for purchase and about to rip into them when the voice and the colors registered. "Screamer? Frag, what'd you go and charge me for? Those fragging Coneheads have been slagging at me all battle!" He cried. Well damn. Now he'd just lost his position and how the frag was he going to explain jumping off of the Screamer without doing any damage in the middle of battle?

"Those Coneheads can't find their afts with both hands and a map. Well. Good thing you're up here; we're going for a ride." And with that, Starscream turned tail and flew off at a high rate of speed, advising Sideswipe, "Hold on. Really. I'd rather you not see if you can bounce." The Seeker felt a bit of relief at getting away from the battle today; he knew his trine was safe as well. Really, it was all getting pretty pointless... Starscream banished those thoughts, though, diving down low into a clearing some distance away from the warring factions.

Sideswipe yelped, the sound of it pulled away from the wind as he did exactly as the Seeker said. Cause really, he'd rather not see if he could bounce either. When the Seeker had slowed pretty far from the battle, Sideswipe looked down at the jet quizzically. "The frag, Stars? Battle's back there!"

"Which is why *we* are going this way." Starscream said with a smirk, landing in the clearing. The reason why he'd chosen this place became readily apparent...a black and violet jet lay in the sun, and he almost looked like he was napping. "Skywarp, we're here..."

Ruby optics opened and Skywarp peered at his trinemate, and at Sideswipe. He did a double-take, then doubled that. "Where the *frag* did you...is this one of those things I don't need to know, Screamer?"

Sideswipe let himself be placed on his feet and then stood there awkwardly, unsure if he should make a run for it or fight. Starscream, after everything that had happened, was one thing. He'd never exactly spoken to Skywarp outside of a battle and had no idea what they frag was going on himself. "Uuuuh..."

"You brother and I, we have sort of a...truce." Starscream said conversationally, as if nothing in the universe was off about the Decepticon SIC and his trinemate hauling one of the opposing faction's best warriors bodily off a battlefield. "We also had a little chat the other day." Starscream had promised to keep part of that quiet, but the rest, in his mind, was fair game. It's not like he hadn't been fragged by Sunstreaker before... "He told me something interesting."

Skywarp just looked at Starscream, his face flushing just slightly. "Star. You didn't. I am SO going to kick your aft." Those ruby optics shot straight through the other Seeker, and Skywarp crossed his arms in front of him in what was definitely a pout.

He frowned, the red warrior glancing at Starscream to Skywarp and then back again. Sunny and Starscream... chatting? Sideswipe's optics narrowed slightly in realization. "This have anything to do with why I suddenly got hit with that energy surge on my mission the other joor?"

Skywarp started laughing _hard_ as Starscream glared at him this time, and he only nodded to the red twin. "Yes, you could probably say that. Thing is, Sides, my trine mate here wants you...and since you're such a nice mech, I decided to arrange for your first date." Starscream positively smirked, earning an evil glare from Skywarp.

"Star, you are an _aft_." Skywarp said sullenly. His optics traced the lines of Sideswipe's form, though...apparently what Starscream was saying was true. The teleporter paced a little in the clearing, looking up at the sky as if expecting something to fall out of it. "Star, this is _stupid_, we are gonna get caught and then cannoned to death." His optics never left Sideswipe, though, the whole time he complained.

Sideswipe, for his part, was at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out. his faceplates were quickly heating in embarrassment and he looked at Starscream with suspicion. "Sunny said something to you..."

Starscream nodded. "He did, yes, because I shared something with _him_. Something he didn't expect." Starscream seems disinclined to share whatever that was at the moment, instead watching the two with calculated interest. "Is it true? Do you...think of Skywarp? Want him? He's intense, I'll warn you of that." Starscream had _that_ look in his optics, the one Sideswipe had seen before...curious lust.

Skywarp just shook his helm, shrugging. "Okay, whatever. Yeah, it's true here. You, and your twin for that matter, are slagging hot. Who _wouldn't_ want to hit that?" Skywarp's use of Earth idiom drove Starscream crazy, but he wasn't going to comment on it now.

Well, this was... awkward. Standing there with dust and minor dents on his plating in a sunlit clearing with two sexy aft seekers around him and... and Skywarp had seriously just admitted to wanting him. The heat that welled up in Sideswipe's circuits was... incredible. Starscream and Skywarp... No matter how you looked at it, it was just too slagging good to be true. He shuttered his optics a few times, ignoring the comm calls he was getting and slowly, carefully blocking his brother for the moment. He needed to sort this out. "I... That is to say..." He rubbed the back of his helm. "Me too..."

"Hah!" Starscream said. He, too, looked up, but seeing no Conehead trine or any other 'Con forces, he moved in on Sideswipe fairly quickly. "Oh, do I have ideas for you, pretty mech." he positively purred.

As soon as Skywarp heard Sideswipe admit to it, it was almost as if he'd teleported over, his finger on Sideswipe's lips, his black and violet form effortlessly blocking Sideswipe's vision directly in front of him, filling it with nothing but sexy Seeker. "Want you." he said, lips twisted into a smile. "Think I might have you too. Unless you run away. If you do _that_, though, I'll just have to catch you. I'm _good_ at that game." Starscream snorted at that; though he knew Skywarp wasn't lying.

Sideswipe had been momentarily distracted by Starscream, a full frame shudder tripping down his back, when his vision had been completely filled with ebony and violet seeker, making him jump in some surprise. The pressure on his lips from the finger taunted him, and a small part of his mind was tempting him to just suck that finger into his mouth, but he smirked instead, struggling to regain his equilibrium in this situation. "You like chasing things, huh?"

Starscream moved silently up on Skywarp, his azure hands fiddling with Skywarp's wings as the other seeker considered this. "I do. Why? You wanna run away?" Skywarp's finger traced those lips, and he tilted his head, smiling even wider. "You know what? I bet you'd look beautiful on your knees, taking Star between those pretty lips, while I pound you from behind. Star told me you like it like that." Starscream nodded, nibbling on a wingtip. "Likes it big, too. Sunstreaker said so..."

Sideswipe's face flushed as he remembered that time in the cave and the lustful words... He had kind of hoped that Starscream wouldn't remember any of that. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't." He took a small step backwards, saucy smirk in place. "What are you going to do about it?"

Starscream slipped behind Sideswipe with characteristic grace, just as Skywarp moved in closer, trying to trap the crimson warrior between them. Starscream whispered loudly, "Sky, he likes those little horns on his head sucked on, and he makes the most wonderful noises when you twist this wire just _so_..."

Skywarp grinned again, his hands ready to grab the pretty grounder. "Mmm. I like interesting sounds. I just had another idea...but that can wait." His optics positively sparkled.

"Hgk!" The garbled sound was followed by a burst of static when the Seeker's servo had dug behind the base of his jetpack and tugged on the sensory cluster there. His back arched some and then he attempted to pull away and off to the side where he may have a better advantage against the both of them.

Starscream laughed. "He wants us to catch him, Sky." "Wonder what he'll do when we do?" "Don't know, but he underestimates the coordination of trinemates..." The two seekers just look at each other, and Skywarp nods at his leader, moving _away_ from Sideswipe. Starscream just went straight for him, one blue finger between dark lips, considering. "You're not trying very hard, Sides. One might get the idea that you want to be caught. And Skywarp here tends to get possessive over that which he has to hunt..."

Skywarp only nodded once at that, preparing a short-range teleport at the first sign of Sideswipe moving around Starscream. "If I catch you, I get to do as I want to. How's that sound, Sides?"

Sideswipe continued to back farther for the clearing line, matching the Seeker a step backward for every step forward, keeping Skywarp on his sensors. "And you don't think Sunny isn't? And I can't say I don't like the sound of those terms. If I win, what do I get?"

"What do you want?" Starscream returned. "Surely it's not a ride back to the battle, not yet anyway..." He flicked his wingtips, and Skywarp took the signal for what it was. He disappeared, reappearing almost instantaneously two steps behind Sideswipe, all while Starscream darted forward, quicker than anything that big had a right to be.

"Yeah, what do you want? I'm open to...a lot." Skywarp said from behind Sideswipe. "You would be surprised...or maybe not, not having been with Star already..." "Shut _up_, glitch" said Starscream, somewhat tiredly, as if he'd said it a million times that cycle already.

Sideswipe snickered, and darted sideways for the tree line, calling over his shoulder, "Tell you what, I'll let you know when I win!" He laughs.

Starscream cursed. "And here I was calling _you_ a glitch, Skywarp. Get him, or else I'll probably end up dancing with my panel half hanging off on the Nemesis bridge to the tune of "_Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy"_!"

Skywarp almost offlined laughing at that mental image, but his optical sensors tracked Sideswipe...after all, he'd been doing it since they all woke up on this dirtball of a planet. "Oh Siiiiiiides..." Skywarp called. "If you give up now I _might_ make it easy on you. Or not, as you like it."

Sideswipe paused only momentarily at the treeline with a parting shot. "Since when have I EVER made things easy for you fraggers?"

He stuck out his glossa and hopped into the trees.

Starscream groaned. Trees were not good. Trees fouled wings and got leaves in thrusters and just generally were not places Seekers wanted to be in. Starscream briefly contemplated lasering said trees, but he figured that's shatter their nonaggression pact to Pit and back...and besides, he really didn't want to hurt Sideswipe. He entered the treeline, frowning, his sensors tuned to the maximum.

"Don't stick it out if you're not gonna use it!" Skywarp cackled, following the red twin inside without a thought of how damned difficult it was going to be, maneuvering among limbs and such. He was promptly smacked in the faceplate by a tree branch, so he promptly snapped it in half. "Fragging thing. Sides, where the slag are you?"

Sideswipe kept still, watching the Seekers from around a trunk of a thick tree, crouched for a quick spring should he need it. He activated his private comm and pinged Skywarp and Starscream to avoid speaking aloud and giving him away. ::So sugar thrusters? Come here often?"::

::Oh you _fragger_.:: Starscream's comm-voice wasn't angry, exactly, but exasperated certainly qualified. He looked around the trees, the leaves tickling his wings in an odd way.

::Not as much as you will, you'll be coming till your optics fade to white _permanently_:: Skywarp said promptly, looking through the branches by tearing them off the trees when they got in his way. ::C'mere, pretty grounder. Skywarp wants to play.::

The red twin makes sure to keep his snort over the closed channel and not out loud. ::We'll see about that Warpy.:: He considers, a wicked grin curling his lips. He's nowhere behind them, in fact he can see them almost front view, but he says over the comms. ::You know. From this angle, those pretty black wings of yours balance perfectly with your aft.::

Starscream holds himself dead still for a short while, reading air currents and displacement and other slight variables that might be able to tell him where Sideswipe had gotten off to. The comm caused him to snort inwardly; did he really think he's fall for...frag. Palm, meet face. ::Skywarp, don't-::

Skywarp, of course, whirls around, looking for the frontliner who apparently had an excellent view of his (admittedly nice) aft. ::And don't you forget it, Sideswipe. Now where in the rainbow frag ARE you?::

And there's his chance. He tugs sharply on a branch above him, raining leaves down on the Seekers and darts for new cover. ::Gotcha Warpy! And rainbow frag? _Someone's_ been watching Nyan Cat on the internet!::

Starscream facepalms again, but he sees the general trajectory and path that Sideswipe is likely to take. The random variable here was the terrain, and the chaotic mind of an Autobot warrior. Star decided to treat Sideswipe's X factor as if he were Skywarp, as the two were really a lot alike, from all accounts. His processor supplied him with coordinates, not likely to be perfect but in all probability very very close. He sent a private comm to Skywarp. ::Destination 26-4a-8 mark 7, Skywarp. Now.::

Skywarp was well-used to getting his coordinates from his trineleader, and as such when he recieved this batch he immediately teleported to that location, noting that he probably shouldn't try that again anytime soon, especially if he intended upon fragging the Pit out of a pretty little sportscar. His optics widened, wondering what he'd find.

Sideswipe yelped in blatant surprise at the loud VOIP as purple light exploded beside him, blinding him for several moments. He stumbled back, his back hitting a tree and he shook his helm, trying to clear it.

Starscream hummed in pleasure at the loud crashing noise, knowing that Skywarp had to have run up on something. Whether or not that was their quarry remained to be seen.

Skywarp was used to it. His teleport hardly disoriented him anymore, and so when he reappeared, he grabbed Sideswipe by the wrists in a firm grip, a smile on his face. "Caught you. You know what that means for a Seeker?" Ruby red optics sparkled in the dim light, and the cooler air of the forested area wasn't enough to cool Skywarp's plating, which was obviously a bit warmer than normal as he moved right up on Sideswipe.

Instinct told him to struggle, a little niggling voice suggesting Skywarp might just enjoy that. He pulled at his trapped wrists, even as he was pressed more firmly against the tree. "I bet you're gonna tell me." He quipped.

"We'll probably just show you. You may find your mouth occupied and unable to be used for talking." Starscream said silkily, coming behind Sideswipe and running a fingertip over his right sensory horn. "Don't worry. Remember, we don't take what isn't offered freely. I _know_ you want this. Don't you?" That tone was worse than sin, promising so much and hot frag Starscream was known for his talents in certain areas...

Skywarp's cooling fans kicked up a notch at Sideswipe's light struggles, proving that yes, he indeed did enjoy a bit of that sort of thing. He grips tighter, not enough to crush, but firm nonetheless. "Don't make me break out the stasis cuffs, Sides. I'll use 'em on you, and Star modified them for selective paralysis. Makes for...interesting times." Ah yes, mixing science with interfacing.

A full system shudder tripped it's way down Sideswipe's frame, an answer to the words, the soft caress against his audio and his own imagination. His optics darkened in arousal and he licked his lips which suddenly feel hot. "Really? Interesting."

Starscream smirked, nodding. "I experiment with things...but I think we'd prefer you able to move. You move so well as it is. Now, it was Warp who caught you, so he gets to choose..."

"I just want him, Star, he's so fragging _hot_, look at him shiver just because I'm holding him." Skywarp's tone was lower than normal, the rustle of leaves on wood not quite enough to drown it out.

"Still...hmm." Skywarp was obviously thinking about something. He shrugs and bears Sideswipe down onto the ground, his lips and denta nibbling at Sideswipe while Starscream just stared, a quiet moan falling from him at the visual of his trinemate over the ex-gladiator.

Sideswipe gasped and then grunted when his back met the ground. He struggled against the weight, both pressing into and pulling away from those sinful lips and denta. He squirmed, testing the Seeker's grip and compensation for sudden movement as if he were an opponent in the arena. Finding no give, he breathed a shaky sigh of want, thoroughly pinned and the Skywarp's mouth found _something_ in his shoulder and he moaned.

Starscream pulls the both of them up, helped by Skywarp once he finally got what his trineleader was trying to do. Star released his panels, tracing his own spike housing idly, and looks at Sideswipe appraisingly. "Will you? I did it for you...will you do it for me?"

Skywarp merely gets behind the now upright twin, keeping his wrists held tightly, now behind his back. He had a feeling that Sides sort of enjoyed it, liked being restrained. "You do that, do Star that way, and I'll take you. Right here, hard and fast. Star says you like it like that." Hot air brushed over Sideswipe's audial, followed by a line of teasing nips punctuated by soft little noises that apparently made Starscream shiver just to hear.

Sideswipe's optics brightened and he smirked invitingly at Starscream. The smirk is distorted into a pleasured grimace, followed by a small whine from the attention to his audio mixed with the restraint and he twisted in Skywarp's grasp. "Fragging _tease_!"

"Warp's not really a tease." Starscream remarked, caressing Sideswipe's helm. "He doesn't promise and then fail to give. He may torment you for a moment, but he's worth it..." Star looks at his trinemate piercingly, his spike beginning to pressurize just at the thought of the things they had done together.

Skywarp removed a cord from subspace, wrapping it around Sideswipe's wrists...not too tightly, but enough to know that it was there, he was bound. If he really didn't want it, he could easily get free of it. Then dark hands slid slowly between Sideswipe's thighs, fingertips brushing the seams in his thighs and over his panel. "Damn right I'm no tease. I like it too much to fake it." Skywarp said, licking a sensory horn.

He whined again, a soft little note of pleasure. His audio horns really were quite sensitive which was one of the reasons they were one of Ratchet's favorite discipline tools, or Prowl's chosen method for hauling him to the brig. But oh Primus did that feel good. "Wanna make you feel good..." he half mumbled past the sensations beginning to cloud his higher thought processes.

Starscream moved closer, the tip of his spike slightly wet from anticipation and want. The sight was driving him insane...so hot, so fragging sexy to see Sideswipe on his knees, ready to take both Seekers however they wanted it. "Taste me, Sides, want to feel it. I know you have to be good, Sunstreaker likes it too much..."

"Yes, Sides. Star doesn't get that often, usually it's _him_ on his knees." Skywarp purred, rubbing himself against Sideswipe's aft in a slow grind. "Want to make us feel good? Just be yourself, give in to what you _want_ to do instead of what you _should_ do." Skywarp continued to delve into those hips, one hand moving in circles over Sides' still-covered valve, the other buried in Sideswipe's hip plating, tweaking and pinching and scraping fingertips over the wiring there.

It seemed like a challenge to him. And if there was one thing that Sideswipe never let go of, it was a challenge. Especially of his abilities. Leaning forward slightly, his glossa barely snaked out, the tip of it flicking teasingly at the leaking head and tasting Starscream's fluids for the first time. It was oddly bitter-sweet. Not bad at all. Encouraged by what he was finding, he pressed the flat of his glossa against the flared head once before taking the tip past his lips. His hips jerked suddenly when something was compressed in his hip by Skywarp's digits and his valve was beginning to leak softly. He groaned, forcing himself to focus on the spike in front of him.

"Aaahhh-" Starscream gasped, trying desperately to hold still, his hips trembling with the effort. It simply wouldn't do to plow into Sideswipe like Megatron did to him, not without letting him use his hands as well as his lips. Besides, it felt so fragging good to have that teasing glossa tickling the head of his spike. "More, Sides. Please, more." he moaned loudly, his reactions as strong as they always were.

"_Pit_ that's hot, Sides." Skywarp whispered, able to see the mech beneath him take his trineleader's spike inch by inch. "Open for me, pretty mech. I'll make you feel so good." His hands continued their exploration, fingertips scraping across hot plating, Warp's right hand sliding up and down Sideswipe's backstrut in a firm caress.

"Ngh!" Sideswipe's preoccupied mouth pulled off so he could retort, "Gotta work for it, Seeker." Then in a swift, practiced movement, he relazed his intake and took half of Starscream's spike into his mouth in one go. His glossa lashed against the nodes on the bottom, then pressed firmly up, angling the spike against the roof of his mouth as he swallowed, flexing his intake to work himself to the hilt.

"Primus!" Star's hips jerked, just once, shocked by Sideswipe's skill on his spike, which was now throbbing with need. Star took Sides' helm in his hands, fingers running over those audial horns, a delicate touch that morphed to a slight pinch and back again as his optics offlined and a shiver traveled up his backstrut in a harsh snap.

Skywarp gasped softly, tugging on the restraint just a bit to show Sideswipe who was in control. His nimble fingers had found the catch to Sides' interface panel, and he was working at it, wanting to feel that wet heat beneath. "Star, you like that don't you, like feeling him suck you until you overload harder than you ever have in your function." Skywarp said softly, his hips jerking in time to the slide of Sideswipe's mouth.

The crimson mech moaned in response to the teasing of his audials and the soft, deceptive pressure of Skywarp's digits working his interface panel, which snapped open almost too soon. He could feel the vibrations from his own moans travel up the spike in his mouth and his stretched lips formed a seal, even as a devious idea struck him. He sucked hard as he pulled off, then bobbed his helm again, revving his engine as he swallowed Starscream's equipment (and generous equipment at that, he was honestly surprised he could take the whole thing) and letting the reverberations rock through his frame. He hummed with his engine, prodding the ridged underside with the tip of his glossa.

"Ah Sideswipe for the love of _PRIMUS_-" Starscream shuddered, holding onto his control only by a thread. His hands wrapped around those horns and gently tugged him down, moving with Sideswipe's already intense movements. "I-I'm so _close_, Sides, nnngh!" His wings twitched in a random pattern, optics shuttered tightly and a look of pure ecstasy on his face.

"Now _that_ is hot, Sideswipe." Skywarp says, slipping two long fingers into Sideswipe's valve, circling and moving to prepare him for the stretch of the violet Seeker's spike, which was just a tad thicker than Starscream's. "Hot as _pit_. You gonna take what he gives you, let him overload? Or will you tease him until he goes insane with want of you?"

He nearly chokes, intake flexing hard on Starscream's spike when Skywarp's fingers press up into him... Deeply. Frag, Seekers had long fingers. His pace falters and he moans again, fighting the gag reflex for a moment before he relaxes again, and continues to suck hard, helm bobbing gently. his own valve clamps tightly against the two intruders and more lubricant forms. He sped up his ministrations to the spike, his hips beginning to grind against Skywarp's own ministrations.

Starscream stiffened with a loud cry, his spike filling Sideswipe's hot wet mouth full of his transfluid, his hips moving quite against his will. Starscream moaned almost incoherently, watching his trinemate finger the warrior. Through the shivers, he has an idea...::Skywarp...give it to him. But stretch him good, don't overload yet. We can both take him together.:: he commed with a slow grin. He withdrew from Sideswipe's mouth then, his spike still twitching with the aftershocks.

Skywarp never was one to hold a secret for long. He slid behind Sideswipe and parted him, hilting himself with a powerful thrust that rocked them both against Starscream's legs. He grabbed Sides' hips and hissed, "We're going to take you together. Want that? Ever been that filled, until you think you'll break from the sheer pleasure?"

Sideswipe had swallowed almost all of Starscream's tranfluid, but there had honestly been so much that a thick trickle had made it's way out and dribbled down his chin. He pulled off Starscream, panting, mouth feeling pleasantly thick with the fluid... And then his entire back bowed and his helm snapped back with a cry as the thick spike filled him all at once roughly. He cried out with the immediate pain/pleasure rush, knees digging into the ground as he thrashed slightly until his valve released around the hot, pulsing intruder. Then the words registered.

"Oh, _PRIMUS_...!" He breathed.

Star looked down at Sideswipe, a small whimper falling from his lips at the sight of the mech so undone, with his fluid trickling down that beautiful face. He resolved to have Sunstreaker suck him off, somehow, some way, just to see _that_ in his memory files. Star eased the two of them down, still joined, with Skywarp directly behind Sideswipe, on their sides, as he lay in front, his wings twitching at the odd positioning. He slid a finger alongside his trinemate's spike, marveling at the tightness and heat he found there. "Yes, you want it don't you?"

Skywarp continued drilling into his new lover, harsh little gasps accompanying every thrust, twitch, and grind. The addition of Starscream's fingers to the already tight passage made Skywarp moan loudly, his optics falling offline. He threw his head back and panted raggedly, trying desperately to cool himself. "Gonna take you when you overload, Sides."

There was no way Sideswipe could answer now, his higher thought processes loooong gone. He writhed and moaned, having a hell of a time trying to gain any leverage from the position he was in to push back against Skywarp. And then the thought of being stretched MORE... Could he take it? He didn't know, but Primus, did he want to find out.

Starscream added another finger, judging Sides to be nearly ready by the dripping wetness of his port and the ragged moans that came from him. His fingertips tweaked Sideswipe's outer nodes in a firm caress, tweaking the little nub between his fingers even as he positioned himself at the entrance to Sideswipe's soon to be overstretched valve. "Overload now, Sides." Starscream whispered hotly. "You know you want it."

Skywarp keened, on the edge and loving it, his own sensornet sending random zaps up and down his shivering form as he slammed hard into the red twin, drawing back out just long enough to press himself down against the rim of Sideswipe's valve in preparation for what was to come. "Yes Sideswipe, come for _**me**_" Skywarp said, nipping harshly at his neck.

Close, he was so fragging _close_! his engine was running and his back was beginning to arch in preperation for a systems wide release. The demanding words, the sinful provocative touches in and outside his valve had him tipping into oblivion in almost no time flat and he howled his release, writhing in Skywarp's grip.

"_Now_." Starscream pressed his now rock-hard spike against the quivering entrance of Sideswipe's valve, slowly, so slowly, next to Skywarp's pulsing spike. He keened at the exquisite pressure, the slick slide of nodes upon nodes, and he had to fight so fragging hard not to just slam into him. "Oh _frag_ that's good..."

Skywarp shrieked, holding himself utterly still because he knew that if he moved, he's overload all over Sideswipe, ruining this delicious slide. "Fragging Primus Sideswipe oh _yes_!" he hissed loudly, holding tightly to those hips, waiting for Sides to adjust to the stretch.

Sideswipe gave a small, barely audible grunt of pain, his valve stretching farther than it ever had before. He held tense and still, willing his body to relax and it did in slow increments, valve flexing and unflexing against his control. As if he was starting this all over again. When Starscream had fully seated himself and the flare of pain had passed, he could feel the throbbing of each spike in him and the stretch was now just uncomfortable without movement, but the pressure was threatening to throw him over that edge all over again and he squirmed. "Frag!" He groaned. "Move, fragging please!"

Starscream looked at Skywarp, really looked at him, and he began to slowly push deeper, feeling each little sensor nub inside like it was larger than life. Starscream panted through his mouth, condensation dripping off of him, and he leaned to kiss Sideswipe fully and throughly, tasting himself on the mech's lips and moaning loudly at that taste. "So good, so nice, frag so hard to hold _back_" he moaned.

Sky moved in counterpoint to Starscream, brushing every node in Sideswipe's valve in such a way to make the sensors continually stimulated, keeping the red warrior on a fever pitch of need and want. "You are _so fragging hot_ like this, spread out under us. Wanted this, wanted you so much." He bit at Sideswipe's neck cabling, shuddering in pre-overload motions that he just couldn't hold back anymore.

Sideswipe whined into the kiss and then buried his face into Starscream's neck as they began to move in tandem. The sensations wracking his body were amazing, more hardcore than anything he'd felt before. Even that slagging oversized vibrator Sunstreaker had locked away."Please," He murmured into the seeker's neck. He wasn't sure what it was he was begging for. Stop, keep going, harder, faster, just... "PLEASE!"

Starscream's optics narrowed and he keened at Sideswipe's begging, the feel of warm lips on his neck, the same warm lips that had swallowed his spike in absolute perfection. "Ohh..oh yes...want to feel you, all of you, Sky, _come_. Fill him up. Harder. OH please be able to take it harder..." His words made little sense now but he thrust deeper inside Sideswipe, still moving slowly so as to not rip him, but the force behind the movement knocked the tip of his spike right into the node at the very top of Sideswipe's valve.

"Oh Star!" Skywarp cried out, snapping his hips and creating a delicious friction, different from Starscream's hard thrusts. His were fast and rough, swiveling his hips to hit every single bit of Sideswipe's valve that he could. When Starscream ordered him to overload, his optics fizzled out and he thrust almost too hard, but not quite, emptying himself into Sideswipe's valve and making it easier for Starscream to pound into the frontliner with everything he had.

Oh. Oh FRAG. Ohfragfragfragfragfragfrag... This was the steady mantra in Sideswipe's CPU as all he could do was lay there and take it. And Starscream's spike was hitting THAT node! With every brush over it, it brought that much closer and then Skywarp overloaded, the hard jet of transfluid bombarding him with sensation and his back stiffened. He bit down into Starscream's shoulder, denting metal and his cry was muffled but still oh so loud in his own audios as one leg hooked itself around Starscream's hip and his frame tensed in his second overload.

When Star felt Sideswipe's valve convulsing around him, he couldn't hold back any more. He drove inward, moaning loudly, his voice a staticky broken mess as he thrust upward, apparently determined to drive them all quite insane by the time it was all over. "Sides, yes, Sides...nnnnn oh frag yes, so goood..." he gasped, optics flaring almost more brightly than the sun. Then he went off, transfluid striking the back of Sideswipe's port, running back out in a steady stream, pooling between them for lack of room. His head was thrown back, lips open in a silent scream.

"Like that, do you? Want it again? Sides, frag yes." Skywarp whispered as he felt Starscream pound into Sides, harder and faster and more and everything that Skywarp loved about 'facing with Starscream. He thrust several times as well, before withdrawing against his will- Starscream's violent 'facing had dislodged his spike, and Sideswipe jerked in place at Star's rapid, hard movements. "Star, that is the hottest fragging thing I have ever seen." he said.

Sideswipe's frame was shaking, optics cycled wide and white with charge as he panted, struggling to pull in enough air to cool his frame, despite the two very warm bodies encompassing him. Frag, facing had never been this hot... Not even with Sunstreaker. And frag was that hard to admit. He was pretty sure though that Sunstreaker felt the same way. Neither had been able to forget about Starscream and despite their best attempts to sate each other again, it had always felt like... there should be more. Maybe they were missing something. He groaned, frame slumping despite his hardware pinging him for readiness again. "Frag. I don't think I've ever been this... insatiable before." He mumbled, embarrassed.

Starscream laughed, not unkindly, as his systems whined warnings at him about overheat and possible system damage. "It's Seekers, Sides. Or maybe just me." He actually held the red twin close, afterward, feeling Sideswipe cool down in the shaded area.

"Arrogant aft." Skywarp said with a grin. "I don't know what that was, but Primus..I want to do it again."

Sideswipe chuckled. "My hardware says go, but my frame says no." He quipped, feeling lethargy creeping in. Combined with the battle and then two MAJOR overloads, he wasn't sure if he'd be up for another round any time soon. "Frag I think I've been ruined for any other partner..."

"Not for Sunny." Starscream said with a touch of longing in his voice. "Frag, but he is...same with you, you know." Starscream himself felt just fine, but he could tell that Skywarp was about half a breem from recharge, between the battle, teleporting, and the massive overloads. "You two...rest. I will keep watch for spying optics." His glare dared anyone to say a thing about his offer.

"Mmm. Sunny is just as good? mmkay, him next.." Skywarp was already half in recharge, his plating a sticky mess.

Despite Starscream's glare, Sideswipe frowned. He was too comfortable to move right away, but there was the rest of his faction deal with. No doubt they had someone looking for him already if the battle was over. He gingerly opened the bond with his brother to inquire as he began his question. "But what abo-"

The sentence trailed off into a shout of surprise as his framed shot rigid and tensed, oversensitive sensors crackling with charge and tipping him into a fragging THIRD overload that went on for fragging ever, leaving him a limp, softly moaning mess, arms slack in the binding cords and face once more pressed into Starscream's shoulder.

Starscream snickered loudly. "That would be Sunstreaker and TC, I believe. Good?" He petted Sides' helm in an effort to relax him after the surprise overload. He removed the now-not conscious Skywarp's binding, rubbing Sides's hands to restore mobility. Star knew quite well what to do after extended binding...

Sideswipe vented heavily, servos clinging to Starscream's armor. "Mmmngh... Think 's a lil more'n I c'n handle..." He mumbled almost incoherently. No way he'd be able to move now. His limbs barely responded to the minimal amount of movement. His frame was limp now and his optics flickered. "Think 'L just 'charge..."

Star just laughed lightly, odd thoughts and feelings creeping through his processor. The humans had a saying, from back in their recent history. "Make love, not war." Starscream shrugs. Maybe they had something there.


	4. Chapter 4

_Early update, people, because our muses simply would not leave us alone until we got this out. This time, there's a bit of plot that got stuck in the porn, and it's frankly spawning an entire universe of interesting things._

_We know a few of you have been waiting for this one. :)_

_Pairing: Thundercracker/Sunstreaker_

_Warnings for this chapter: D/s, violence, sticky, recalled dubcon, oral, rough interfacing, crossfaction, and more than a little H/C_

_Big shoutout to my co-author and RP partner; she does the Lambos, I do the Seekers. (Though, strictly speaking, they're "doing" each other, enthusiastically.)_

_Disclaimer: Not ours, we just really like making them do wonderfully perverted things._

* * *

><p>That lousy, fragged up, processor glitch of a pit-spawn had shut him out <em>in the middle of a fragging battle<em>! What the frag was wrong with his brother! Did something go wrong up there? Sunstreaker couldn't see from his own position on the battlefield. Sideswipe had been higher up and in the canyon, while he himself was set on the flat expanse of earth just outside of the canyon mouth. His worry for his brother fueled his anger and he was relentless with his barrage on Brawl, slamming his fist over and over against the Combaticon's face until he dropped. 'Frag it all, Sideswipe, where are you!'

Thundercracker was annoyed. Very, very annoyed. His trineleader and his glitched-up wingmate had disappeared _again_, with no sign of either. He had a sneaking suspicion of where they'd gotten off to, though, and it frankly fragged TC off. Of course, the Coneheads were in the sky, but TC figured that they would at best serve as cannon fodder for the Aerialbots, and at worst get in his way when he went to find out where the slag those two had gotten off to, in the middle of a battle no less. He knew what Starscream had been up to lately...he didn't exactly disagree with it, because TC honestly didn't believe in the war anymore as it was, but still...Megatron would deactivate them if he knew. The blue Seeker dipped lower in the sky, a flash of yellow catching his optics. Where yellow was, red was not far away...except for now. TC hmmed and swooped lower to investigate.

Sunstreaker cursed, yanking at the annoying little cassette twin (Frenzy, he noted) that had leapt on his helm and flinging him across the a distance to smack Astrotrain in his faceplates, freeing Smokescreen to break away and get to Warpath who was having an issue with two of the Constructicons. He swung around, searching for something else to take his frustration on. Hmmm... Motormaster was making an enticing target at the moment. And without a second thought, he began the rush across the blank expanse between him and the 'Con Semi.

_*What a dumbaft.*_ Thundercracker thought to himself, watching the pretty golden grounder rush that psychotic semi that had likely been sparked in the deepest layer of the Pit. _* A slagging waste, that's what it is. Talented and beautiful...*_ Thundercracker was flying toward him without a second thought to what he was doing, strafing laser fire away from anything alive and sentient. TC rarely, if ever, fired on anything, not even Autobots. He swooped down, tranforming in midair between Sunstreaker and Motormaster. "You ignorant aft, he'll deactivate you! And that'll be _after_ he rips your head off and exchanges it with your aft! Motormaster despises beautiful things..." TC knew then that he'd said way too much.

Sunstreaker slid to a stop as soon as the blue jet set down, face pulled into a snarl and ready to demand that he move. Then it registered just who he was speaking too and without concious permission on his part his mind went back to Starscream's declaration a few weeks ago.

_/If Thundercracker knew, he positively would not leave you alone. Wingnut /**wants**/ you, Sun./_

He blinked stupidly for several moments, faceplates heating slightly. Thundercracker's words registered and he preened despite himself. "Well, I... uh..." And then something smacked into the back of his helm (Laserbeak. Soundwave and his pit-spawned cassettes!) reminding him of exactly where they were.

"Oh for Primus' sake." Thundercracker simply grabbed Sunstreaker under the arms and took off with him, getting him out of Motormaster's immediate reach. ::Now don't complain. I'm not going to harm you.:: he commed. ::I...I don't usually hurt people without provocation, not anymore. I...wanted to get you to relative safety, since your brother isn't here to help you...:: TC cursed himself for a thrice damned fool for running off at the vocaliser to Sunny, who likely didn't give a half-breem frag about his motives.

Sunstreaker, however, was clinging to the jet. Unlike his brother, he had no jetpack system to break a fall. And his parachutes happened to be in the medbay getting repaired still. They might call him crazy, but he wasn't stupid. Besides, it really wasn't all that bad, being close to a strong, warm body at least a third bigger than himself and... And he apparently had been supressing this more than he'd care to admit aloud. ::Better not fragging drop me, slagger.:: He growled, if only for appearances.

::I'm not going to drop you. If anything, it'd be a waste of spare parts. And my glorious trineleader would personally offline me if I was involved in hurting either of you to begin with.:: Thundercracker admitted, heading quickly toward a dusty-looking abandoned mine.

Sunstreaker went stiff, a sense of some betrayal flashing through him. He was silent, dread permeating his EM field. ::what did he tell you... exactly?:: He bit out.

Thundercracker landed next to the opening, depositing the frontliner on the ground rather gently. "Nothing much, why? Was he supposed to? I do know he's rather fond of you and your brother..." TC's lips twisted into a slight smile at that, and he shrugged. "I told _him_ that I am fascinated by you."

Sunstreaker pulled away to hide the relief that replaced the dread in his field. He stood, looking down and grimacing at his battered armor. Then he stood straght and proud again, haughty look that could rival Mirage in place. "Fascinated by me?" He cocked an optic ridge. "Oh really?"

Thundercracker raised an optic ridge and folded his arms in front of him, unfazed by the arrogance. "Yes. I am. Is there a problem?" The blue Seeker was determined to do this right...

He snorted, planting his servos on his hips, smirking. "Not at all. I mean, who wouldn't be?" And he meant that. He knew he was beautiful. There was no reason he shouldn't be admired.

"Beautiful, but an aft." TC remarked softly, without anger or rancor. "Still, I'm Seeker enough to picture you squirming in overload at my hands..."

"You say aft, I say fact." Sunstreaker rebutted, his voice laced with certainty and solidarity. He eyed the blue Seeker apprasingly. If he were truthful with himself, he could admit there was an air with which Thundercracker carried himself that had always held his attention more than the others. Starscream was better looking, maybe, smaller and more delicate, but the artist in Sunstreaker appreciated the broadness of Thundercracker's frame, how the sleek curves appeared powerful all at once, how the Seeker's air of calm belied the doubts he had... Sunstreaker's engine purred with his consent and he cut it off with a sharp huff. "And what makes you honestly think that I'll just let you have your way with me?"

TC merely tilts his head, that small smile gracing full lips. "Why wouldn't you?" His wings twitch idly in the wind, that same smile never leaving. "You need to let go of your control. I am the only one strong enough to hold it." His deep voice rumbled, literally like the thunder he took his designation from.

Sunstreaker fought of the shudder, struggling to not break composure. He frowned, icy optics flashing in calculation. "Think highly of yourself, don't you, TC?"

"I do, because I am comfortable enough with myself and my function to _know_. Do you know what you want, Sunstreaker?" Thundercracker was effortlessly dominating without being overpowering, calm, self-assured, and he moves closer to the golden twin, his deep garnet optics flaring in want. "I know what I want." he repeated. "I want you."

"Everybody does." Sunstreaker replied whiplike. He backed up jsut a bit, uncertainty warring with want. Thundercracker was attractive. Sunstreaker wanted him. This he could admit. But giving up control... Just like that? Starscream was one thing. Thundercracker was another. He hardly had reason to trust him other than Starscream's word and... And Starscream really hadn't lied to him yet, despite the fact he was SIC onf the entire Decepticon army... He bit his bottom lip lightly in thought.

"Everyone _thinks_ that they want you." Thundercracker corrected. "Then they find that there is a person beneath the gorgeous face, a person that is not quite what they expect." He didn't move into Sunny's personal space, not yet. To TC, this wouldn't be worth it unless he gave in freely, whether it be by choice, through a fight, or whatever Sunstreaker decided would prove that Thundercracker was worthy of his attentions.

Sunstreaker stiffened, his faceplates morphing into a scowl. "Got a fragging mouth on you, don't you?" He replied bitterly.

Thundercracker shrugged. "I speak what is. Your lips say one thing, your body, another." He stood there thinking for a few moments, then nodded to himself. Wide, dark wings blocked out the glare of sunlight as TC approached Sunstreaker, a thoughtful expression on his face. One hand reached out to grasp Sunny's chin, a firm but gentle hold. "You will be mine. Not forever, but certainly once. Possibly more. You just don't know it yet."

Sunstreaker grit his denta, the sting of the words still fresh and he yanked his chin free before backing up several paces. "Like to see you try." He spat, crouching for a fight.

TC's optics narrowed, and he nods once more. "I do not _try_, Sunstreaker." With that, he rushes the frontliner, somewhat glad that his relative frame size would be an asset here, as well as his hand-to-hand training.

Sunstreaker was prepared, arms flying up to slam at Thundercracker's shoulders before they collided. He shifted his weight forward so he wasn't knocked on his aft.

Thundercracker's arms pushed Sunstreaker's away, keeping him from grabbing what is a liability to any flier- his wide, sweeping wings. He kicked out with his left leg, turning in a half-circle pivot and jabbed his right arm forward, hoping to catch Sunstreaker unaware with the dual assault. TC knew quite well that Sunstreaker had been a pit fighter of some renown, and as such, this would not be easy.

Sunstreaker felt his arms shoved aside and reacted on pure instinct, both sweeping down in across to block the kick, although the arm coming at him was a surprise. It impacted his shoulder, knocking him back a step. Impressive. Thundercracker had some skill in hand-to-hand then. A gleeful smirk lit up Sunstreaker's face, a rush like he hadn't felt since the pits slamming into him and he crouched again before lunging at the flier's waist.

Thundercracker turned just slightly, enough to deflect what could have been a blow that would have knocked him down into something a bit more painful but less damaging. His wings flicked higher, sweeping backward on their hinges, and that calm smile never left his face. He ducked low as well, not aiming for Sunstreaker's midsection, but for his legs instead. He prepared for a countertrip maneuver, though, setting himself up to actually roll across the dirt...something he hoped he wouldn't have to do, as it hurt like Pit with wings.

The wings flicking back had caught Sunstreaker's attention. It apparently served as the perfect distraction. As he made to aim for them, he felt Thundercracker impact his legs and his knees buckled inwards, throwing him backwards onto his back, jarring him and setting his audials ringing and throwing his visual feed into static for several moments.

Thundercracker purred in approval, his strong hands pinning Sunstreaker's above his head, his form pressed flush against the frontliner's. TC's systems were obviously heated, and definitely for more reasons than their little battle. "You will submit to me, Sunstreaker." He lowered his face to nip delicately at Sunny's right helm-fin, his turbines whirling.

"The pit I will!" The frontliner snarled, twisting and trying to throw the Seeker off. This was... doing something to him and it scared him. His spark screamed at him to let the other in, give up control completely. Thundercracker was different than Starscream in that when he took control he had full control. And it scared Sunstreaker that he found himself craving it. He was in no way less dominant. He still very much preferred his spike as good as Starscream had made his valve feel. He supposed that was what scared him most.

Thundercracker was right.

He needed control taken from him from time to time. Something his twin could never do. Starscream had given him balance... but had not taken control.

"You will." promised the Seeker, his gaze almost as penetrating and heavy as his form was atop Sunstreaker. Cords in his arms stood out as he continued to hold Sunny there, his hands still pinning Sunstreaker's, Thundercracker's lips just a breath away from Sunny's audials. "You want this. Don't you." The deep rumble was almost a whisper, as loud as the ocean, and sent shivers down TC's own form. Primus, but he wanted Sunstreaker. He knew that he needed to take, to claim. Starscream was too easy, and Skywarp didn't even care one way or the other. Only something worth fighting for was worth having.

This time, Sunstreaker couldn't fight the shiver that made his plating rattle. Thundercracker's venting brushed against his senstive audial fins, into the slats, caressing circuitry underneath. His gaze focused on the sky sullenly and he tugged at his wrists. "You're a flitter-glitch."

Thundercracker actually laughed at that. The full-body shiver made his form move right along with Sunstreaker's, his panel brushing against Sunny's in a way that TC himself found incredibly distracting. "Flitter-glitch, hm. Well, you, Sunstreaker...you are mine. At least for right now." And with that, TC brought his lips to Sunny's in a thorough kiss, his glossa first brushing and then demanding entrance into Sunstreaker's mouth.

Sunstreaker kept his lips stubbornly pressed together. He wasn't giving in just yet. Oh no. Thundercracker would have to work for it. His feet braced on the ground, arms pulling as tight as they could in Thundercracker's (surprisingly stronger) hold and he bucked up.

A slightly surprised gasp escaped TC's control at Sunstreaker's action, and he held on tight, rolling them across the ground. The dusty surface snagged his left wing _hard_, and he hissed in pain, garnet optics flickering. "Still fighting me. No matter. I _will_ have you." Thundercracker dug his long, elegant fingers into Sunstreaker's shoulder seams, pulling him close all while he slammed him down onto the ground. His form covered the golden twin, pressing down wherever their plating touched.

Sunstreaker grunted, the slam jarring his processors again, and he shook his helm before letting his now free servos grab at the vents to either side of TC's helm and shoving.

Thundercracker threw his head back, using his slightly longer reach as an advantage. That had _hurt_, but his systems were running hotter than ever...and he guessed that Sunstreaker was as well, by the look in his icy optics and the ferocity in his movements. He swung his legs on either side of Sunstreaker, catching his hands again in a fierce struggle, pinning his form with his bulk. He leaned down, meeting Sunstreaker's gaze without the slightest flinch. "Give in to me." With those words, he activated his sonics, a low rolling pulse of barely-audible sound sweeping through the both of them in a tide.

The rumbling caused his plating to vibrate, making a spark deep moan play on his glossa and slip through his lips as his optics flared and he writhed. He kicked out, legs all but useless when the Seeker was straddling his waist out of his reach. "Oh frag!" He hissed, panting.

Sunstreaker's moan caused TC to tremble, slightly- the movements of the frontliner's legs meant nothing now, and the _look_ on his face was purely gorgeous. "Will you submit to me?" Another pulse, deeper, rattling Thundercracker's wings in a flurry of clicking noises.

He twisted, in the Seeker's grasp, a high whine replacing the moan. That vibrating was going to drive him CRAZY. He wanted it to stop, but he _didn't_ want it to stop! "Yes!" It was the only word that popped into his head, anything to end this sweet sweet torture...!

"Good." The word came out in a low purr that ended only when Thundercracker's lips sealed themselves to Sunstreaker's once more, this time fully confident that he would taste, conquer, and claim what he sought. The sonics eased off, just a little, as TC's glossa traced the lines of Sunny's mouth. He switched both of Sunstreaker's hands into one of his, and Thundercracker began to make a devastating map of Sunny's form with his fingertips, scraping just this side of paint-marring, digging into the seams with precision.

The golden warrior gasped, back arching and legs kicking out again in a reflex reaction. His optics fluttered shut and he groaned, tugging at the hands holding him down even as he tried to press his frame more firmly into the digits exploring his frame.

"You like that, do you? Answer me, Sunstreaker." TC's tone was soft, almost muffled as he nipped hard at Sunstreaker's neck cabling, his hand brushing over the scorching hot panel between Sunstreaker's thighs. He traced lightly around it, over it, sucking on Sunny's neck cabling, aiming to mark him, at least for a short time.

"Yes!" Sunstreaker growled, twisting with the feel of those dominating touches. "Frag you to the pit!" And even still, he tilted his helm back to give the Seeker more room to play, more cables to violate in that _oh so good_ way...

Thundercracker's cooling fans whirred loudly, and the sonic rumble kicked up again for a few seconds before TC regained control of it, panting through his mouth to cool himself. "Open. _Now_. Are you ready for me, Sunstreaker?" Those fingers dug into the seam of Sunny's interface panel, his grip on Sunstreaker's wrists almost hard enough to dent. TC's own cover slid aside, revealing a dark blue spike, slightly larger than Starscream's and a hell of a lot larger than Sideswipe's. It bumped against Sunny's thigh, trailing a streak of translucent fluid in its wake.

He yelped, pelvis jumping into the sharp, demanding touch. He knew what Thundercracker wanted, the hard spike saying it all. His mouth twisted in a nervous tick he had never quite gotten rid of. He shifted, trying to get Thundercracker to shift as well so he could look him in the optic.

Thundercracker met Sunstreaker's gaze, unflinching, hand coming up to trace those lips. He pressed himself against Sunny's pelvic plating, and the soft, low whisper seemed to come from everywhere at once. "I want you, and I get what I want, Sunstreaker."

He repressed the shiver again, optics never looking away. "I don't get spiked." Sunny stated flatly. Then he amended, "Much."

"You will tell me if I injure you, then." There was no talk of Sunstreaker getting out of, it, there was only calm determination, those hands on Sunny's plating, and Thundercracker's turbines whirring in a seductive buzz that made his wings shiver. "If I release your hands, will I have to recapture you?" He nipped at Sunny's bottom lip with that, sucking on it lightly.

Sunstreaker swallowed oral lubricant to re-wet his intakes. "Depends..." He breathed. "On how good you can make it." His panel snapped open with a snap, the sound echoing in his processor. No backing out now.

Thundercracker growled low in his chest, releasing Sunstreaker's wrists. His right hand slipped downward to test Sunstreaker's readiness, plunging two fingers inside with a long, powerful thrust, his thumb on the outer sensory nub, other fingers teasing the rim. "I will make it good. I will make it good enough that you _scream_ for me, beg me not to stop." Those lips dove down to the unmarked side of Sunstreaker's neck cabling, nipping sharply.

A pained hiss left Sunstreaker's lips, valve not quite ready for the sudden penetration. He hadn't used his valve since Starscream had taken him so many weeks ago and it had reset to its original setting. His thighs shifted further apart, giving Thundercracker more room to work and he gripped at the Seeker's upper arms before one hand shot for a wing hinge and tweaked. "Love to see you try, 'Con."

"I don't try, Sunstreaker..." Thundercracker arched into the touches- there wasn't a Seeker sparked that didn't enjoy wingplay, and TC was no exception. His fingers spread slightly, the tips seeking out internal nodes and sensors, thrusting in and out with a smooth, strong motion. He dipped inside with his thumb for a moment, coating it in Sunny's own lubricant, then returning to run its slick surface over that outer node in a quick flicking motion. The pads of his other fingers teased the outer rim some more, pressing barely downward to stretch Sunny wide enough to take what Thundercracker had to give him.

The strangled moan leaving Sunstreaker's throat was followed by an involuntary buck upwards to sink those digits further. His valve was lubricating rather quickly now, valve trying to clamp on those strong fingers as a response to being stretched so quickly.

"Nice. You make incredibly stimulating sounds." Thundercracker whispered, slipping in another finger and slamming in hard, the warm wetness almost enough to drive him crazy. TC's spike almost pulsed, leaking freely all over Sunstreaker's thigh, and he dipped his free hand down, tracing a path in his own fluids, and brought them to Sunstreaker's lips.

It wasn't even a conscious thought, Sunstreaker's lips parting to pull the black digits into his mouth. His frame jerked with the force, servos tightening, one over the wing hinge, the other having made its way to clamp over the leading edge. He moaned around them, glossa lashing against them to taste the strong tang that was Thundercracker.

Thundercracker cries out loudly, the stimulation breaking that tight control for a moment before he shakily regained his composure, looking into ice blue optics as he withdrew his fingers from Sunstreaker's valve, replacing it with the blunt head of his spike, rubbing across the entrance, their fluid already mixing due to both of their arousal. "Last chance, Sunstreaker. Once I have you, I _will_ want you again." His spike brushed against that sensitive cluster, slicking it up further, sliding its head around the soaked opening.

"Frag it, you expect me to decide _**NOW**_?" Sunstreaker snarled, digits hooking the Seeker's collar plating and yanking him down for a harsh kiss.

Thundercracker immediately took control of the kiss, his glossa tangling with Sunstreaker's as his spike slid so slowly inside Sunny, raking across those internal nodes, pouring the charge through the pair of them...and transmitting those sonics straight into the frontliner's valve, a warm low thrum that increased every time TC thrust inward, fighting his urge to just bury himself inside Sunstreaker. "You-really don't do this often...so _tight_, Sunstreaker...nngh!"

"Told -hngh!- you!" He replied through gritted denta. "Don't get spiked!" His joints were locked in place, thighs spread impossibly wide by Thundercracker's broad hips. "Frag..." He said shakily. TC was bigger than Starscream! It was almost painful.

Thundercracker finally hilts himself inside Sunstreaker's almost painfully tight valve, and he rested there for a moment, circling his hips in a slow grind that would both give Sunny time to adjust as well as tease all the really deep sensors inside him. His wings were raised high on his back, deep red optics locked onto Sunstreaker's face, watching for any sign of true pain or resistance. "Relax." he ordered, slowing the grind, still moving but barely so. "The only pain I give you will be that which you request or earn."

He tried to relax, as the Seeker said, imagining the way his brother did. It was a lot harder than it looked, apparently. His digits clenched tight and he gasped with each little grind, but soon his valve wasn't clenching quite so hard. He panted, squirming, trying to get the Seeker to move or something and stop teasing those nodes, fraggit!

When Sunstreaker finally began pressing back against Thundercracker, his own hips moving in time to the grinding motions, TC knew he was ready for more. His optics remained instensely focused on Sunstreaker's, garnet on ice. He slid out, slowly at first, then back inside, hands holding Sunstreaker's hips down to the ground. The drag was exquisite. Thundercracker could feel every node, every ripple, and he was fighting his instinct to ram himself in and be done with it. But this was not Starscream, this was someone...different. Perhaps someone worthy. He would see. Could Sunny take his intensity when he finally lost control?

Sunstreaker whined, fighting Thundercracker's hold on his hips to meet the seeker thrust for thrust. his servos tugged on plating, fingers digging under seams to tug at wires and his optics, fierce with his pleasure and dignity, smoldered up at him. There was something different about this encounter than the one with Starscream. Thundercracker was a force demanding to be obeyed where Starscream tentatively asked before taking control.

The look in Sunstreaker's optics sent a shiver through Thundercracker, and he increased his pace, the blunt head of his spike knocking softly against the node in the back of Sunstreaker's valve. Sunny's fingers digging into his plating made his backstrut arch, and a long, low moan escaped TC's lips. He released Sunstreaker's hips, scooping his legs up to hook over his elbows, driving in just a little harder, just a little faster.

A sound that was half moan half yelp was pulled from his vocals before being stifled with a grunt as his knees met his chest plating for a moment. But that /angle/. The slick slide of Thundercracker's spike into his valve had him scrabbling to get some control back, legs useless now with the angle. This was new and he was trying to feel his way around it, optics still cycled wide with his surprise.

Thundercracker hissed at the wide-opticked look Sunstreaker gave him, the low rumble of his sonics increasing yet again with the image that now seemed to be burned into his processor. He bore down upon the Autobot, delving deeper, jerking up at the last second, his spike twitching in want, bumping every tiny ridge and nub inside Sunstreaker's valve. "So beautiful under me, Sunstreaker."

Sunstreaker cried out, his digits now clawing at the dirt beneath him. The angle, being bent nearly in half and the tension this put on his frame was exquisite! And yet still it wasn't enough. With a flash of his optics, faceplates heated to a dull pink glow, he smirked as best he could at Thundercracker. "Come on, TC." He goaded. "Screamer tell you I fragged him twice? Well he fragged me once, too." He goaded. "Was pretty good. Can you do better?"

Thundercracker looked back in surprise; Starscream had had Sunny like this? For one, Star didn't spike hardly anyone. For two, Sunstreaker had willingly given himself to his trineleader? "I _can_. He comes back to _me_ for...control, when he needs to release it." Several hard thrusts punctuated that statement, Thundercracker stared down at Sunny, lips parted in a slow grin. "Tell me how it feels." The tone was an order, a _demand_.

"Like you're fragging me." Sunstreaker attempted a snort, but it didn't come out quite like he wanted it too. Not with a deep moan following shortly after. His valve was stretched so impossibly wide and it burned in such an intense way...

"How do you want it, Sunstreaker? Hard?" A deep thrust, slamming with pleasure/pain into that cluster at the back of Sunstreaker's valve. "Fast?" Short, shallow thrusts, the friction almost undoing the Seeker right then and there. "Slow, intense, or all of that at once?" His optics flared at Sunny's moan, and he answered it with one of his own.

The mech squirmed, unable to answer bast the cries. "Primus! Just frag me!" He managed, trying to gain leverage, to push back into the Seeker. "Make me lose my mind."

Thundercracker's backstrut snapped forth at that, and he growled. He drove himself into Sunstreaker, nipping harshly at that cable he'd marked earlier. "You will see only me, feel only me in this moment, Sunstreaker." Thundercracker's accent became more pronounced, the deep tones rolling over the two of them in a tide. The harsh thrusts made TC shake, soft gasps ecaping him now, unstifled now.

Sunstreaker writhed, moaning and crying out as each brutal thrust compressed the very back sensors in his valve. He could feel the way his valve would clench down, trying to keep the seeker in but release as he pulled back out, the sound of their hips meeting loud in the space. His peds kicked helplessly in the air, helm thrown back by the Thundercracker's own helm. "Oh Primus, oh please! Fragging please, you son of a fragging glitched motherboard!" His frame moved, scraping up against the ground with each thrust. "THUNDERCRACKER!"

"That's right, beg me for your release." Thundercracker's voice dropped into a snarl, and he drove in as hard as he could, his hands drawing Sunstreaker's hips forcefully toward him just as he thrust inward, slamming into the back of Sunstreaker's port, the wet glide sending wracking shudders through his frame. Dark blue wings trembled wildly, and TC's optics were bright, penetrating almost more than the hot, hard spike that impaled the golden twin.A gathering something, almost staticky, began to coalesce in the area, almost tangible in its intensity. The vibrations traveled deep into Sunstreaker, and Thundercracker seemed to be on the edge of something, something he couldn't resist any longer...

He was close, oh so tantalizingly close, but he wasn't going over yet and it was driving him fragging insane! "Please, frag you!" He snarled, denta clenched. "You want me to beg, I'll fragging beg! Just...!" A wordless sound of desperation filled the space between them, followed closely by a string of pleas and wants and curses. One of Sunstreaker's hands dug furrows in the dirt, the other grabbing Thundercracker's wing and twisting.

"Sunstreaker..." Thundercracker moaned loudly, low and long, and that's when he lost it. He balanced the frontliner's legs on his shouldervents, pinning him bodily to the ground with all of his strength. With the new angle, he drilled Sunny to the ground, each gasp, moan, and curse spurring him to go harder, faster, more intensely...and his lips met Sunstreaker's just as the sonic boom went off, blanketing their sensors in an intense vibrating white noise, transfluid jetting into the deepest recesses of Sunstreaker's valve in a torrent of white-hot lust. "Sunstreaker, yes, mine now.." he moaned incoherently, still moving inside the golden warrior, determined to give him one of the best overloads of his function.

There was no moving, no way to push back against the Seeker. There was no battle. No factions. Nothing else in Sunstreaker's world at that moment other than the intense, raw emotion, the ground he was pinned to, the jet pinning him there and the hard, fast, riding on painful slamming of the spike impaling him over and over and over again. When the sonic boom went off it set every node in his body singing, his back bowing so far it lifted the Seeker above him. His mouth opened, the cry of Thundercracker's name lost in the noise around them as his visual feed blanked and his valve clamped down, milking Thundercracker's spike. So intense was the overload that he went offline.

The clamp and rush and rippling of Sunstreaker's valve made Thundercracker keen aloud, and then he noticed blearily that his new lover was offlined from the overload. He laughed quietly, touching Sunny's faceplates gently, and eased out of the warrior, fairly sure that he's damaged something in there with his force. He reminded himself that Sunstreaker had asked for it, that Thundercracker had given him the chance to back out and he had not taken it. The problem remained that Thundercracker did not want to give the Autobot up, now. He wrapped his arms around Sunny possessively, waiting for him to online.

It wasn't that long that he was out really. A few breems at best. But when he slowly onlined, groaning and voice thick with static, he was more than acutely aware of the ache in his valve as he tried to move. He grunted, booting and the rebooting his optical feed to a bright blue sky. "Frag, what hit me...?" he mumbled, half out of it.

"Sonic boom." Thundercracker said. "One of mine, because my overload was intense enough that I lost control of my sonics. If I inadvertently damaged you with it, I apologize." He noticed the faint wince when Sunstreaker moved, knowing that his valve was likely quite sore indeed. It was his _place_ to treat that which he had caused.. "Sunstreaker, I have something that will ease your discomfort, if you wish it."

Sunstreaker grunted again, shifting in the Seeker's grip still too mellowed to really put up any fuss. He was sure he should care. He would care. Later. He felt far too good and content and heavy right now. "Sure..."

Thundercracker unsubspaced a small container and dipped his fingers in, spreading the cooling salve all over them. He then entered Sunstreaker again with those fingers, gently seeking out the roughened and sore areas, applying more gel as needed to soothe the ache. Well, part of the ache. Post-overload sensitivity was one thing; damage was another. His other arm still held Sunny close to him as his systems began to calm themselves.

A small whine exited Sunny's lips and he squirmed against his lover when the fingers entered him, stretching the sore walls again. Then he sighed with some relief as something cool spread across the walls, muting the burn and numbing some of the discomfort. He was slowly coming back to himself and he blinked in surprise when he realized Thundercracker still had an arm around his waist. He would never have pegged TC for a cuddle kind of mech.

"Better?" TC asked, concern plain in his optics. He'd removed his fingers to find a trace of energon, very little, but enough to know that he had indeed been rough with Sunstreaker. "As I said, I will not give you pain that you don't ask for or earn for yourself. This falls into that category, but it is also my duty to help relieve it, since it was not a punishment." TC's lips twist into a small grin. "How am I going to just walk away from you, Sunstreaker?"

"Um..." Sunstreaker had no answer for that. He didn't know if HE was going to be able to walk away himself. Something had shifted. Something big. He opened his mouth to try to answer again and the only thing he could come up with was... "We're at war. I'm still an Autobot and there isn't a fragging thing in the universe that'll make me be a 'Con."

He paused, something hitting him and he blinked at the jet. "What the frag do you mean by punishment?" He asked, optics narrowing as his panel snapped shut again, sticky mess and all.

Thundercracker tilted his helm. "That relates to my personal life, and how I deal with partners who agree to that kind of relationship. If you really wish to know I will tell you. As I am sure you are aware, I am the dominant partner in a relationship, in the berth. That does not mean that I am domineering. That does not mean I am abusive. It does mean that there are instances when I expect my words to be taken seriously, and if you choose not to..." The Seeker shrugged. "Discipline must be maintained. It can come in many forms, some of which may seem pleasurable on the surface...held on the edge of overload for a joor, for instance." TC laughed lightly. "I do not enter into this kind of relationship without consent, full consent. One must know what they are getting into."

Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge. This sounded... interesting. "So you wouldn't let a partner spike you?"

Thundercracker leveled his gaze upon Sunstreaker. "I didn't say that, now did I?" His lips twisted into a knowing grin.

A shudder tripped down Sunstreaker's back and his optics darkened with the possibilities. He couldn't move now, but in the future... And was he really considering this? He appraised the seeker, optics traveling up and down the seeker's form, taking in the blue paint with patches of gold on it now, their mess on their thighs, the mess on their abdominal plating where Sunstreaker's spike had overloaded. Yes. Yes he really was. His helm thunked against the Seeker's shoulder. "Well frag... I may just be convinced to let Seekers at my valve more often."

TC just looked at Sunstreaker, those deep red optics almost twinkling in the setting sun. "Seekers plural, or just one?" he asked. "I should think that you earned the right to have me in that way."

Sunstreaker shrugged. "Already let Screamer at me..." He grinned that grin he was so famous for. "Can you take as good as you give, TC?"

"Do you want to find out, Sunstreaker?" No way in Pit was Thundercracker going to admit that it had been...quite some time since he'd allowed _anyone_ to take him in the valve. Last one to try had been Megatron, of all mechs, and he'd _hated_ it.

Sunstreaker's engine revved, the idea heating him all over again. There was still some discomfort in his valve, but that was mostly numbed. "If I do?"

TC repeated, "You have earned it." The thought sent heat through his frame, wondering what Sunny's intensity was like when he took what he wanted instead of being made to accept control. Thundercracker was fairly sure he could remain in control even if Sunstreaker took him, but it might be difficult...

Keeping an eye on his lover's face, Sunstreaker pressed a hand against his shoulder and pushed a little until their positions were nearly switched. As soon as he was gazing down at his partner, he shivered again. "Anyone tell you how good you look, TC?"

Thundercracker answers honestly. "Not often, not being trined with Starscream. I fade into the background next to his...flamboyance." He wasn't sure how he felt on his back, but Sunstreaker's weight atop him wasn't uncomfortable in the least. He gazed into Sunny's optics, just as he had before, unafraid to show what lay behind them.

"Starscream's pretty..." Sunstreaker shrugged. "But I'm an artist, TC. I know how to look and see other things. And I find I like the more..." His optics raked down the Seeker's body, one hand stroking out over a wing. "Broad sweeps, than the smooth ones..."

TC gasps lightly, the soft touch unlike those his trinemates gave him. Starscream did _everything_ roughly, being the sensation-seeker he was, and Skywarp lost his control so easily. "Really." His intakes sped up, trying to dissipate the heat rising within him.

"Have you seen my brother?" Sunstreaker replied seriously. "Sideswipe is second only to me, sure, but his angles are less smooth more... " He shrugged, not sure how to explain it. Quiet strength had always been more impressive to him than other things. He stared into Thundercracker's optics. "You're scared..." He said softly.

"I want you." Truth rang in Thundercracker's voice, but he didn't deny the statement. "I want you inside me." This, too, was true. He banished the images of their so-called commander having him, and really looked at Sunstreaker, moaning at the images that flitted across his processor. His glossa slid over his lips, almost as if tasting the golden mech again.

Sunstreaker grinned down, a mischievous light in his optics. "Do you?" He repeated, nipping at a pectoral vent and then running his glossa along the gated vent. Hot air blasted his face as well as the smell of ozone and transfluid. It was heady.

"I do." Thundercracker repeated, shivering lightly at the attention to his vents. A sensitive spot, often overlooked. His hands traveled around to stroke Sunny's back, encouraging silently. He resisted further movement. _*Control. I will keep my control*_, he thought.

"I think it's my turn to warn you..." Sunstreaker said, sliding his denta gently along the edge of the vent before moving to the other, "That I can be pretty... brutal. I've sent partners to Ratchet without meaning too..."

Thundercracker replied calmly, "If I feared that I would not be lying beneath you, Sunstreaker." He had heard the rumors of Sunny, had seen him in battle more times than he cared to think about. He knew the golden warrior was brutal in his fighting. It stood to show he would also be brutal in his 'facing. TC felt his valve clench in on itself, and it _wasn't_ in fear. His trine could not do this for him, and he refused to be taken fully by one unworthy. He was convinced that Sunstreaker was worthy. His thighs parted willingly beneath Sunstreaker, his bared interface array bucking upward. His spike was retracted, almost painfully so, but his valve was bared, leaking just a little.

Sunstreaker groaned softly, shifting back to view the valve so willingly bared to him. His optics flashed brightly and then faded darker and he leaned close, smelling at Thundercracker's fluids. He grinned, liking what he was finding and breathed softly just into the opening.

TC almost yelped at _that_ feeling; the sound morphed into a soft moan that sounded far more dignified than the loud, surprised cry. He canted his hips upward, towards Sunstreaker, a small trickle of lubricant running down his aft onto the hard ground. "Primus-" he swore, his wings rattling on the ground.

Sunstreaker snickered. Oh yeah, he was _that good_. Slowly, making sure to keep optic contact with the Seeker, he slowly lowered himself between the blue thighs, glossa extending to run around the leaking rim before dipping in shallowly.

_Oh, sweet merciful Primus and his Seeker children._ Thundercracker hadn't felt _this_ in what felt like vorns, though surely it had been sooner than that. Those optics, icy and hot at the same time, along with Sunny's slick glossa delicately lapping at the rim of his valve made the Seeker stiffen, his valve clenching on almost nothing. "Want you." he panted, nearly trembling. "Take me. Now." His command was nowhere near as certain as it had been when he'd been on top; his voice was laced with static and the harsh gasps didn't quite give it the same quality, the same overtones of control.

Sunstreaker smirked, ignoring the breathless command, sliding his glossa completely in to jab the tip of his glossa against whatever nodes he could reach. His lips formed a seal at the valve's entrance, the thick fluid draining into his mouth and coating his throat with the taste that was purely Thundercracker.

"**Nnnnnnnn**!" Thundercracker offlined his optics briefly, lost in the feelings Sunstreaker was giving him, his inner thighs twitching and his valve contracting rhythmically in want, a need to be filled. Sunny's questing glossa found a cluster that pulsed when he licked it, and TC shook, two words escaping from his lips that even he was shocked to hear: "More, _please_."

The sound of a finely tuned, high powered racing engine filled the small ledge with the declaration. Oh, he liked that. He liked that _a lot_! He pressed his glossa firmly against the top wall and dragged it out, licking at the metal between spike and valve. He continued upwards, dragging the flat of his glossa through the mess on Thundercracker's abdomen, his own bitter fluids accenting the sweet tang of the seeker's. He made a show of pulling his glossa back into his mouth and sucking down the mixed fluids.

Dark garnet optics flared brightly in the dusk light, and Thundercracker reached out, grabbing Sunstreaker's arms. His systems were running hot, and despite the quiver in his voice, there was a hint of steel behind it. "I need you inside me. _Please_. If you do not, then I will shove you down and ride your spike until you fall offline again." This mental image sent more shudders down his backstrut, and he tried desperately to hold tight to his unraveling control, because he didn't know what was _happening_ to him, why he was reacting this strongly.

Sunstreaker's panel unlatched again, what was left of the mess flooding down his thighs as his spike extended in all it's black and gold glory. He shifted forward, hands stroking firmly out over Thundercracker's wings. "Sounds like a threat to me..." He growled, spike playing across the entrance before barely pressing in. "I wonder how I should answer that..."

When the just the head of Sunstreaker's surprisingly well-proportioned spike slid past his barely-prepared entrance, that combined with those hands on his wings made him buck upward, a loud, wordless cry coming from his vocaliser, a cry shot through with static and a rumbling undertone much like he had before. "Just answer me!" he said, slightly rushed, his body trying to force him deeper. Oh, this wasn't like Megatron at _all_.

The buck nearly through him off, but he'd grasped Thundercracker's wing edges just in time and held on. "Too much already, TC?"

"No!" he moaned, the grasp on his wings very very close to driving him crazy. "Move. _Now_. Or I _will_ just take my pleasure!" Thundercracker privately wondered if he could control his shuddering enough to actually flip them, though.

Giving the Seeker a hungry and predatory look, Sunstreaker pushed into the exquisite heat that had been dancing just at the tip of his spike. The fluids left over from his last overload and the fluids coming from Thundercracker's port now helped him ease in until he seated himself with a grunt. "Primus!" He breathed. "I think you do this about as much as I do!"

"Probably." Thundercracker gasped out, his valve contracting and clenching on Sunstreaker's length. "Though I haven't had Starscream frag me recently." he teased gently, rocking his hips into Sunny as best he can. He can almost feel the unspoken questions. "You won't break me." he said calmly, optics locked on Sunny's once more. "I can take whatever you give me."

Sunstreaker held himself there, still debating with himself, unsure. He knew that what half the crew said on the Ark held some truth. Once let free, he was almost impossible to control. He didn't believe he was crazy just... Less afraid to act on his primal instincts. And the Pits had always been about survival. Even now, it was a battle to survive. He looked into Thundercracker's optics searching and then, finding what he was looking for, shoved forward with a snarl, pulling his spike out and then slamming it home again.

"Sunstreaker..." Thundercracker cried out, stunned by the hard thrust that forced his legs wider apart and struck a node high up in his valve, sending electric pleaure over his sensor net. He gasped, "Don't stop." He forced his optics to remain online and fully opened, wanting to see what was in Sunstreaker's as the golden mech took him...he wanted to know, a little, what it felt like to be claimed for once, claimed by one he had chosen to do so.

Sunstreaker's optics were focused like laser points, solely on his partner. Every twitch, moan and sound of pleasure was noted and it drove him. He said a brutal pace, spike throbbing in the tight heat that encased him, almost too hard to pull out. This was all consuming. Even more so than with Starscream. It seemed there were many things he wasn't prepared for these past few months.

Thundercracker's hands clawed at the ground, his hips jerking to meet each hard thrust as best as he could. His head thrashed from side to side, stilling only when he caught sight of the intense stare of his partner. It took his breath away. He reached up and stroked Sunstreaker's face gently, thumb running along those thin lips, and he moaned loud and long, feeling things within that were not solely related to the utterly hot 'facing, things that were doing odd things in his processor. Thundercracker clamped down on each drag outward, almost as if trying to keep Sunny inside him. The burn was all-consuming, worse than flame, and Thundercracker was drowning in it, lost in a sea of ice and fire.

Thin lips caught that thumb, nibbling on it gently, a surprising counterpoint to the harsh pounding he was giving the Seeker. He released it, bending forward and dragging one of the Seeker's legs with him so he could bite at the dark shoulder, tasting the ozone he had smelt earlier. His legs were sore, but he couldn't stop. Didn't want to stop. The pressure banding around his middle held him captivated, liquid heat pushing out of the valve with each thrust in, adding to it. It continued to spiral, out of his control until he was really no longer aware of self and present, but rather heat and claim.

"More, Sunstreaker. I want it all, everything." He moved with the frontliner, the gentle nibbling on his thumb that much more intense due to the sheer difference from it and the rough pounding into his valve. TC's sonics rumbled lightly, the vibration even in his valve, and the bites on his shoulders made him arch up. He tweaked the tips of those helm fins roughly, staring at Sunny. "Will you overload for me, fill me up, mark me as I did you?"

It was all too much, the sinful words, the rough tweaks to the sensitive appendages, made all the more sensitive for the heat they had to dispel, the vibrations on his spike... With a roar of his vocals and his engines, he shoved as deep as he could get, scalding fluid rushed to fill the Seeker's tight passage, bombarding the inner nodes with a hard jet of transfluid.

"Oh _Sunstreaker_!" Thundercracker almost shrieked, the sound rumbling and harsh and tinged with need and want and Oh Primus he felt it coming...Sunny's transfluid struck him, burning almost, and his valve convulsed, clamping down hard onto the spike. His inner walls quivered, his body doing much the same under his lover. The sonic boom was lessened, as if his energy were low, but it was still there as he thrashed under Sunny, his optics whited out from his hard overload. "Oh. Oh. Yes. S-sunstreaker-!" The quivering stopped only when Thundercracker did, his overload-wracked body shutting down from a combination of sensory overload and heat warnings and the sheer intensity of Sunstreaker.

Sunstreaker flopped strutlessly over the offlined form of Thundercracker, and he lat there panting. His cheek pressed against the warm armor of the flier's shoulder, feeling the dents his denta had left. He groaned, unsure if he would be able to _move_ let alone clean himself up and drag himself back to where the battle was or had been depending. Eventually, he did find the willpower to pull out before collapsing next to the seeker, still panting.

It didn't take long before Thundercracker's optics flickered, his systems quickly onlining in the presence of what his processor screamed was an enemy. He told his processor to shut the frag up and grasped Sunstreaker for good measure, stroking his helm in a gesture that shocked even him. He pulled Sunny halfway up onto his cockpit glass, his helm resting between his shoulder and his neck. Thundercracker guessed he knew what Sunstreaker's valve felt like, now...slagging _good_, that's what. But. There was always a but. He sighed though his vents. It wasn't his way to not speak of things. "Sunstreaker." That Vos accent wound through his words again, betraying emotion of some kind. "I don't want to give you up. Faction be damned."

"Hmmmm..." The reply was half there, half not as Sunstreaker struggled to pull himself from the haze of post-bliss. "What?"

"I said I don't want to give you up." His tone was implacable, rational even. Thundercracker stared at the sky. "And I basically said to the Pit with factions, because I shall not let that stand in my way. No, I am not asking you to switch sides. You are not...suited to the Decepticons. And I would not put you within that madmech's reach."

" 'S alot of madmechs in the 'Cons, TC." Sunstreaker pointed out wryly. "And as much as I hate to admit it, I don't think I want to let this go either..." He frowned at himself. "I'm not getting emotional or anything! Don't think I am!" He warned, trying to raise his helm but failing miserably. He felt so heavy and content. The golden warrior sighed deeply. "What are you going to do then. I doubt you're gonna just up and join the 'Bots."

"I don't yet know what I'm going to do. There are several options, and if I /do/ leave, I am taking my trinemates with me, for I won't have them suffer under Megatron's rule due to my actions." Thundercracker's optics met Sunstreaker's as he tilted his head downward. He understood that what was not being said was more important than what was. "I disagree with the leadership of the "Cons as well as their methods. Yet I still remember what we originally stood for, and it's not so different from what your Prime preaches now."

"You really only just now finding out that Megatron is a glitch?" Sunstreaker snorted, half lit optics staring into Thundercracker's. "I've known that since the Pits. Fragger creeped me the hell out. Still think I made the right decision when I just walked out after a battle..."

"You probably did, especially considering your twin's nature. You two are joined, correct? If one of you...is harmed...it affects the other?" It's clear what TC means by "harm", even if he doesn't put it plainly. A delicate subject, to be sure, and TC didn't particularly like contemplating the deactivation of his trine, a very real possibility considering all the times Starscream was sent, offline, to medbay. He couldn't do it anymore. Skywarp did not think ahead. Starscream saw only power. Thundercracker was the control. The order. "I will be making plans to gather my trine and leave the _Nemesis_ soon, Sunstreaker. I do not know _where_ we will go, yet." he admitted.

Sunstreaker frowned, his spark constricting a little. It took a moment to get his voice working again, afraid to admit to the deep seated fear he and his twin shared. "And what about us?"

"I don't think..." Thundercracker started again, garnet optics locked onto pale blue. "I do not wish to give you up. I...want you in my life, Sunstreaker." He stared, a slight feeling of dread and worry rushing though his processor, the thought that the beautiful mech would laugh in his face and reject him, even though it was obvious that they shared an intense connection on some level.

Optics cycled wide, astonished. These were words Sunstreaker had never thought he would hear. Ever. Sideswipe had been told this, but never him. Never Sunstreaker. He felt his lower lip quiver and he quickly looked away, trying to get ahold of his emotions. "M-me neither." He said quietly.

Thundercracker notes Sunstreaker's reaction, and acts without thinking, arms encircling him to hold him close to his body. His helm rested atop Sunstreaker's, and he sat up, pulling his lover into his lap whether he liked it or not. "I will not abandon you, Sunny." That was the first time TC had shortened his designation, his tone soft and his hands steady against Sunstreaker's back. "I will _not_."

Sunstreaker stiffened, unsure of what to make of the sudden position he found himself in and he wiggled self-consciously. "I wasn't afraid of that." The instant denial is second nature at this point, no helping it. Sideswipe had long learned the double meanings and it helped that he had access to Sunstreaker's spark, but he was always the strong one.

TC merely tilted his head, lips forming a slight smile. "I suppose I need to carry you back somewhere close to your base." he said, not really wanting to at all, wishing he could stay here for the night, the next cycle, and possibly longer than that. Sunstreaker's command would worry, though, especially after reports that he'd been carried off by a member of the command trine. Thundercracker could get away with it by saying he needed to fly; it was a common excuse that the trine used to get away from it all, and they would vouch for him. Sunstreaker's feelings were now important to TC, though, and he was determined to do this right.

Sunstreaker's lips twisted slightly, unhappy. "Yeah... Frag." Fragging war. Fragging everything. Fragging Sideswipe... actually, now that he thought of it. The twisted scowl of his lips morphed into a smirk. "I know where the rest of your Trine is, by the way."

Thundercracker laughs, a rich sound. "I have a pretty good idea myself, but perhaps you should tell me, so I can be sure. They are..entertaining...Sideswipe, are they not? Trines have bonds too, even if they are nowhere near as intense as yours, I still knew what Starscream planned for today."

"Planned... " His optics alighted with realization. "Fragger used the battle as cover." He grinned. "Clever." Then he sighed. As contented as he was, it was getting dark and he was sure that if he flipped on his comms, they would flood with demands. "I think I really do need to go..." He attempted to push up and out of Thundercracker's arms but when his valve twinged and his legs collapsed from under him, he realized walking was going to be impossible. He cursed in three different languages, human, Common Cybertronian and Kaonite.

"I will fly you close to where you need to go, Sunstreaker. It is my place to take care of you." His aura of command was back, firmly in place; his tone indicating that he would not take no for an answer. He remained in root mode, still holding on to the frontliner. "Hold me." he whispered, and not just so he would be safe in the air as he slowly rose, taking off into the night sky.

"I can take care of myself, you know." The frontliner muttered sullenly, but even still, his arms wrapped around the Seeker's neck and shoulders and as they flew his mind wandered. then his face fell and he groaned as one thought in particular crossed his mind. If he couldn't walk and the others found him...

Just what the frag was he going to tell Ratchet?


	5. Chapter 5

_This wasn't even supposed to happen, we didn't plan it. It happened anyway, and here it is, for your viewing pleasure. No more challenging your co-author to a porn battle; it results in said authors staying up until the sun comes up._

_Thank you SO much to all our reviewers; reviews are like high grade! _

_Pairings: Starscream/Sideswipe, Thundercracker/Sunstreaker_

_Warnings: Violence, twincest, oral, sticky, D/s, a fair amount of sap, and a smidgen of plot in this porn._

_Disclaimer: Not ours! Even though we want 'em!_

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><p>The bridge of the Nemesis was not a good place for confrontation, but Starscream did it regularly enough that the crew was more than used to it; they tended to take bets on how long it would take for the Screamer to work his way into medbay at their Supreme Leader's hands.<p>

Megatron snarled, "You were observed carrying those damned frontliner twins off the battlefield, and you mean to tell me they still function?" His fusion cannon began to power up, the purplish glow brightening the dismal area with lethal intent.

Starscream eyed it, not really liking fusion burns. "They got away, oh _mighty_ Leader. It's difficult for Seekers to track through the forest." he snapped, his temper running away with his common sense.

Thundercracker resisted the strong urge to whack his palm against his own forehead hard enough to offline himself. Star was going to get himself slagged if he didn't just shut up. "Starscream." he said warningly, glaring at his trineleader. Starscream flicked his wings at Thundercracker, a signal that meant that he could handle it, things were just fine and dandy, and he turned fully to Megatron, pacing with his hands behind his back.

Megatron eyed the Seekers with suspicion. "Treacherous glitch. You're planning something, and I'll find out what it is. And when I do, your spare parts will decorate this bridge as a reminder to others who think of trying the same thing." He fired, purposefully missing Starscream, the blast near enough to sear the sensors on Starscream's left wing.

Thundercracker grabbed Star's arm and pulled him physically from the bridge, muttering something about addled wingleaders and death wishes. Once the door closed behind him, he glared at Starscream. "We're leaving for awhile, Star. To_ that_ place."

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><p>Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were sort of tired and out of sorts; they'd narrowly escaped serious trouble again, because Sunny had nearly snapped on Prowl over something stupid that they couldn't even remember anymore. So they drove. They knew quite well what they were planning- in times like these, the only way to calm them both was to renew their bond, to comfort each other by becoming whole, if only for a little while.<p>

Sideswipe would have grinned if he'd been in mechform. ::Sunny, I found a place the other day. No clue who built it but it's got a huge berth in it.::

Sunstreaker sighed mentally, but nodded inwardly. ::It better be soon, Sides, because I..:: He didn't finish the statement, but Sideswipe knew anyway. He sent several comforting pulses along their bond, lending him his caring until the large entrance in the side of the mountain became visible. ::In here, Sunny. Join with me. Please.::

They entered the dark room and it wasn't clear who grabbed who, whose kisses became heated first, whose lips trailed down and around until they were pleasuring each other in a simultaneous slide.

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><p>The chamber was dark, and almost completely empty aside from the two grounders spread over each other on the massive berth. Each was occupied with the other's equipment, honey gold pinning crimson red and lips stretched around the very well proportioned spikes. Sideswipe was bobbing his helm, tasting the fluids that dribbled from his brother's valve with a low moan of appreciation. Above him, Sunstreaker shivered, his own ministrations on the spike in <em>his<em> mouth pausing for a moment before being picked up double time. The three fingers in the red mech's valve spread outward and then compressed when they shoved back in...

And then the door opened.

A feral growl filled the chamber, dual toned, and then Sunstreaker's weight was gone, the spike pulled free of Sideswipe's mouth and the fingers in his own valve and the heat on his own spike torn away. He whined in disappointment, moving to reach after his brother's presence in the darkness of the room when another weight is pinned him down, a lustful rasp in his audio.

"Primus, Sideswipe!" It was Starscream, hands pinning the red twin's above his helm. "You couldn't wait for us?"

He squirmed, optics staring up at his winged lover before glancing to the side to see TC pinning his brother against the wall. Sunstreaker wasn't struggling, either; the look on his face was just this side of ecstatic.

Thundercracker's form pressed itself quite firmly against Sunstreaker's, his systems damned near overheated from the sight of Sunny with his lips wrapped around his twin's spike. He gazed down into Sunstreaker's lust-brightened optics and murmured, "I think it's my turn now, Sunstreaker. On your knees."

Sunny's optics widened in shock; TC wanted him to do _what_? "Thundercracker, I-"

"No argument. You are mine...remember?" Thundercracker's rumbling tone wrapped around Sunstreaker in a sheltering blanket of sound, tempered with a tremble in its tone that betrayed Thundercracker's deep lust. Sunny nodded slowly, very slowly.

Starscream's jaw dropped almost audibly at this exchange. There was something here that he definitely had not expected, not from his silent trinemate and certainly not from Sunstreaker, of all mechs.

Sideswipe just gasped, "Somebody...just tell me what the frag is going _on_?"

"You looked amazingly sexy..." There was no question in Starscream's voice, the Seeker leaning down to mouth at a fading mark on the grounder's neck. "...and I don't think it's fair that you and Sunny get ALL the fun."

He shivered and a soft sound from his brother had him looking toward the other pair again, Starscream's optics following the same path.

Slowly, Sunstreaker sank to his knees, optics locked on Thundercracker's. His servos came to rest on blue thighs and his optics broke away to stare at the white plating in front of him. With a nervous curl starting in his tanks and feeling _very_ self-concious about the optics on them he leaned forward tentatively to press his glossa against the hot paneling of Thundercracker's interface plate.

Sideswipe replied, with only a hint of static in his tone, "Didn't think we'd get to you anytime soon, and we decided to renew our bond." He shifted to give Starscream better access to the already scored cabling, a soft gasp falling from his lips. His optics never left Sunstreaker, though, and the sight of his proud brother, following orders (and on his _knees_!) like that from _Thundercracker_, made him wonder what had happened between the two. He hadn't been with TC yet..."Stars, what's up with _them_?"

"I don't fully know, Sides...but I have a good guess" Starscream nibbled down that same line, his glossa tracing the smoothness of the cabling. "Thundercracker is what we call a dominant, but I never figured Sunny for a submissive _anything_. Though it appears that he is, at least for _him_...I never would have thought..."

A deep voice interrupted Starscream. "Not your concern, Starscream." Thundercracker stroked Sunny's helm in approval, allowing him to grow comfortable with the idea of doing this before releasing his panel even though his spike was almost throbbing with the need for stimulation. Sunstreaker's slow licks became more sure, his optics offline, and his thighs twitched just enough for TC to feel that he was ready to at least approach his spike, even in front of the others. His panel slid open, freeing that wonderfully large spike, its tip wet already with translucent fluid.

"Taste me, Sunstreaker." he rumbled, stroking Sunstreaker's helm fondly.

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><p>Sideswipe watched, optics darkening in lust as Sunstreaker's glossa snuck from between thin lips to press flush to the head of Thundercracker's spike. He groaned, wrists twisting in Starscream's hold. Pit that was hot...<p>

Star gasped loudly at the sight before him. He'd wanted to feel that, to see Sunstreaker on his knees sucking his spike until Star couldn't take it anymore. Somehow, though, it seemed five times as hot to see him doing it to _Thundercracker_. The sight aroused him even more intensely than he already was, and he pressed down into Sideswipe with a low growl. His hands held Sides' wrists in a grip as hard as steel. Starscream's pressurized spike grazed Sides' valve entrance and he said lowly, "You better be ready because I am taking what I consider to be mine."

Sideswipe's optics shuttered and his back arched with a gasp. He wanted to feel it, feel the spike inside of him. "Stars! Ready, please! Sunny's been teasing me for the last BREEM! Please!"

His legs shifted restlessly and he tried to angle up, to impale himself.

The tip of Star's length entered Sideswipe as his reward for moving against his lover, and Starscream saw no reason to hold back now. He spread Sideswipe wide, thrusting hard inside him, knowing that _both_ twins had a preference for rough interface...something that Starscream was _more_ than willing to accommodate. His valve was far wetter than it had been last time, Star able to slide in and out with fast, slick motions, and he pressed harder on Sides' wrists, moaning incoherently at the sensation.

Sideswipe keened, matching his hips with the pace of Starscream's thrusts, one leg hooking around a white thigh. "Oh frag!" He gasped. "Oh fragging Primus, so good, so perfect, Stars!"

Sunstreaker shivered again, hands clenching on Thundercracker's thighs even as he continued to work. His twin's voice in the height of passion never failed to arouse him and his still hard spike throbbed in want. He allowed the pace of Thundercracker's firm servo on his helm, but he controlled the pressure, flexing his intake harshly one moment and then not at all the next. His thighs were still coated in fluid that was freely leaking to drip to the floor.

"Ohhhh. Sides, ride me, frag you. On top. Now." Starscream demanded and pleaded all at once, flipping them to put the frontliner on top. He grabbed Sideswipe's hips and dragged him in a hard grind over his pelvic plating, scraping the inside of Sides' dripping port with his now-twitching length. Starscream's wings shook on the huge berth, and he looked up at Sideswipe, a soft smile on his lips.

Sideswipe gasped, the switch around changing the angle and depth the spike was able to reach and he breathed out shakily. "Frag me..." He groaned, looking down at his lover. He braced his hands on Starscream's abdominal armor and he returned the smile, raising himself up and then lowering down. He did this a few times, slow, measured and then he raised himself up again, Starscream's spike almost removed completely from his valve... And then slammed himself down.

Starscream shrieked at that, a high-pitched cry that almost hurt to listen to, his hips thrusting into Sideswipe without him thinking, he was only feeling and doing and oh _frag_ he loved this feeling. His spark whirled madly, emotion surging through him. His grip on Sides' hips grew tighter, wanting to lift the red warrior up and slam him down, but Sideswipe was doing just fine on his own. "Don't stop please_ please PLEASE_ don't stop, Sides, I love it, so good, I need this I...I..._oh yesss._" The last came out on an incredibly low moan, Star's backstrut arching hard enough to move them both up.

The red twin groaned, his hands moving to cover Starscream's on his hips, using his knees to lift upward and slam down in one waving motion. His helm fell back and his optics shuttered closed in pure ecstasy, mouth open and panting to try to cool his frame even as the perpetual heat continued. He rode Starscream's spike with all the skill he did his brother's and it was wonderful, almost intoxicating. His own moan mixed with the others in the room, a loud harmony punctuated by gasp and small cries of pleasure. Sunstreaker's pleasure transmitted along their bond, and he transmitted his own, unable to do anything else.

Star grasped Sideswipe's hands as if they were the last stable thing in this chaotic ocean of need that washed over him, and he looked up at him, his crimson optics widening at the utterly gorgeous sight. _*He is _far_ more beautiful than his twin, if you know how to look...*_ he thought. "Harder, Sides. Please, please. I want to feel you go over hard, I want to give...give anything I can...oh Sideswipe, more!" His helm hits the berth with a hollow clang and his optics offlined, he was helpless in his need and want and lust...and wasn't afraid in the least. He knew, _knew_, that Sides would not harm him. Would not just use him for a good frag and then abandon him. And that revelation rocked him to his core.

"Ngh! Stars!" Sideswipe moaned, rocking heavily and on instinct. "Primus you feel so good inside me! Love this, love you... I - I need to overload!" The charge was almost unbearable now, but he didn't want to go without Starscream. It was almost a physical need to see Starscream go over.

Starscream almost froze...did he say...he did just say. "Sides pleeease, I...I...oh Primus I think I...do too-" The world shattered at that admission, the thrusts overstimulating his painfully hard spike, the proclamation of love, when the only ones who loved Starscream were his trinemates, and even that was not _that_ kind of love, not anymore. "Come with me, Sideswipe." Star's voice was ragged. "Together. Need you, want you, might even love you." And he fell over that edge, thrusting upward, his transfluid erupting in several hard jets directly into his partner. He had the presence of mind to share his feelings along the trine bond, which worked rather well while they were in the same area, and the faint presence of TC vibrated along his neural net, supporting him.

Sideswipe went over _hard _at thesame time as Starscream and he buried his cry of completion in Starscream's shoulder. His hips jerked several times before they stilled and he collapsed, shaking in post-coital bliss. He moaned softly, his frame sensitized and tingling even as his brother's own pleasure continued to bombard him.

Starscream mumbled something, then repeated himself. "That keeps getting more intense...it is going to deactivate me if it keeps getting better, Sides." He holds the trembling warrior tightly to his chest, unwilling to release him just yet, and maybe not for awhile, as the frontline was still riding out his twin's impending overload, the emotional link strong enough to carry him with it.

"Mmmm..." Sideswipe mumbled contently. "S' cause I'm good." He wiggled, not at all minding the spike still in his valve, until he was more comfortable in the Seeker's arms. "Mmmm... your quarters are comfier than ours..."

Star found himself falling very quickly into recharge, not giving much of a frag about who saw who where. "Stay with me tonight." he asked, already halfway gone. His hand sought out Sideswipe's, his fingers curling around it gently.

"Don't think I can move..." Sideswipe answered honestly, barely cognizant himself. "'Sides, you're warm."

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><p>Sunstreaker's optics unfocused as he concentrated on his task, glossa twisting and lashing at the leaking head before his mouth stretched wide to take Thundercracker's considerable size into his mouth. The strong tang of his fluids drew him in, and he moaned very softly.<p>

Thundercracker shuddered. "Like that, Sunstreaker." he praised, his hips held as still as stone, unwilling to force the issue at the moment by thrusting froward. The wet heat of Sunny's mouth, the unsure glossa tickling the underside of his spike...it was almost _too_ good, and his hands caressed the slats in those helm-fins firmly. "Just like that, do not stop, do not _worry_." This was more submission than Sunstreaker had likely ever shown before anyone who was not his twin, TC felt.

Sunstreaker, despite Thundercracker's words, couldn't help but worry. So he used his task as a distraction, trying to work the Seeker's spike into his throat. It was a little awkward, having only ever done this for his twin and not at all used to the size, but he managed to get it down almost to the hilt, swallowing around the length of it with a small groan.

"Beautiful, Sunstreaker. You feel so _good_." TC's tone was encouraging, shot through with a heavy dose of thick lust that forced him to lock his knee joints before they gave out on him. The only one who'd ever managed to take all of him in his mouth had been Starscream, but TC felt...different about Sunstreaker. Starscream did it out of misguided loyalty, or even just to satisfy himself...but Sunstreaker was giving himself to Thundercracker, freely and willingly and..oh Primus. He still held onto Sunny's helm, gently moving it in a slight bobbing motion to control the pace, but not nearly enough to gag the golden twin.

Sunstreaker shivered again, hands clenching on Thundercracker's thighs even as he continued to work. His twin's voice in the height of passion, calling out like that, never failed to arouse him and his still hard spike throbbed in want. He allowed the pace of Thundercracker's firm servo on his helm, but he controlled the pressure, flexing his intake harshly one moment and then not at all the next. His thighs were still coated in fluid that was freely leaking to drip to the floor.

Thundercracker moaned loudly and low, unconsciously bumping the head of his spike into the deep recesses of Sunny's intake as he drew downward...and he didn't know if he was going to be able to hold out much longer. Especially not after glancing down and seeing glistening wet thighs and his pretty black and gold spike jutting against his abdominal plating. He panted harshly and asked, "Sun-sunstreaker-" His vocaliser reset itself with an audible click. "You are doing well; what do you want, in this moment? Tell me. I want to hear you." As it was, the sounds from the berth were driving him half-insane.

Sunstreaker let the spike slide from his mouth, his glossa pressing against the ridges partingly before he glanced up at the big seeker with optics darkened in lust. "Want you." He groaned. "Any way you'll have me." He needed a release, any release...He licked his lips, tasting his lover, looking up at him with a small smile.

Thundercracker's lips trembled, and his processor replayed what Sunstreaker had said, because he sure as pit wasn't sure, he want to_make_ sure. Then it hit him...and TC growled, pushing down hard on Sunstreaker's shoulders, laying him flat on his back and easing his spike into his lover with a loud keen. "_NEED_ you, Sunstreaker. Sunny. Mine. So good, so ready for me. You love to be beneath me now, do you not? Do not hold back, ever." TC bit down on Sunny's neck cabling before he said something really stupid, moving Sunstreaker's thighs far apart in preparation for the pounding Thundercracker knew he was craving.

Sunstreaker gasped, angling his helm for Thundercracker. "Oh Primus!" His thighs spread and he wrapped them around Thundercracker, starving valve clenching down on the thick length now impaling him. "Ungh, need more, move fraggit, TC! MOVE!"

Thundercracker moved all right, withdrawing until just the tip of his spike was barely within Sunstreaker, then he slammed back inside with an upward jerk that impacted with the top of Sunny's port. The sensation and the slick heat briefly stole his vision, his words- TC's lips moved soundlessly, a long string of something that was emphasized by a caress down the right side of Sunstreaker's face. TC realized he couldn't be heard, and decided on another way. His hands grabbed Sunstreaker's face as he drove into the mech, hard and fast and intense, and he brought their lips together in a fierce kiss that burned with freezing fire.

Any sounds or answer Sunstreaker may have made was muffled by the claiming glossa in his mouth. He groaned, pushing more into the kiss, sealing their lips more thoroughly together, delighted. His servos reached up to grip on the leading edges of Thundercracker's wings, pulling and tugging as he was literally drilled into the floor. Primus this was so good!

Thundercracker had to break off the kiss, his systems demanding cooler air as he pinned Sunstreaker and took him hard, marking him, making him his yet again. "Sunstreaker. I...do not let me go." he gasped, holding himself back with immense effort, especially with Starscream keening his own overload just a short distance away. The touches on his wings, the obvious reciprocation in the kiss, and the look on his lover's face almost got him to say it again, what he'd tried to say while his vocalizer fritzed. But he couldn't. Not right now. That needed to wait until he wasn't fragging Sunny's processor to shreds. That thought in mind, he purred, low into Sunny's audial sensors. "Come, Sunstreaker. I want to see you writhe beneath me. You may overload for me." The command was punctuated by brutal, intense pounding, his wing edges singing from the signals, his processor a fragged-up mess of words and thoughts and worst of all, feelings that he had no idea how to express.

Sunstreaker broke. He wasn't sure if it was the command, his brother's release or the built up charge from earlier but he _screamed_ his overload, vocalizer glitching and shorting out. His back bowed, hips slamming against Thundercracker's as his valve clenched HARD on the spike imbedded deep within him. He collapsed under him, groaning.

"Sunstreaker-!" A sharp gasp, the scream echoing in his audials, and the tight clench around him made Thundercracker buck erratically, his sonics raging out of control to shatter the mirror in the room, whiting out his vision as his spike felt like it exploded inside his lover, his chosen one...and Thundercracker found himself fading out again, the intensity too much for his neural net to process at the moment. The last thought that he had was _*Primus, where has he _been_ all my life...*_

Sunstreaker grunted under Thundercracker's weight, squirming languidly. "Heave, TC..." The Seeker, being roughly a third larger, was also a lot heavier...and he tended to forget this afterward when he collapsed strutlessly on top of Sunny after their times together.

Thundercracker slowly came to himself and immediately rolled them so that the smaller and lighter Sunstreaker lay sprawled atop him. "I have something to tell you, later." he said calmly, after his processor had sorted itself out enough for coherent speech.

Sunstreaker groaned with the move. "How later? Sides and I still need to renew our bond and then get back..." He yawned, a low energy warning popping in his HUD. "But not tonight I guess..."

Starscream and Sideswipe were both silent, by necessity- they had already went into, or were quickly heading toward recharge, fingers entwined and with faint smiles on both sets of lips.

"I am...glad that you are staying." Thundercracker admitted. He touched Sunny's face gently again, the way he had earlier. "I will tell you when you are ready to know."

He hummed thoughtfully, feeling his brother slip into recharge before he shifted with some effort to sit and pull himself off of Thundercracker's spike with a small hiss. "Ngh, using me as a measure for ready is probably not smart." He stood, stretching before casting a look at the Seeker as he made his way for the berth. "You going to sleep there, or you gonna join us?"

Thundercracker rose and followed Sunstreaker, pulling him close after he had settled on the berth next to the resting forms of his trinemate and Sideswipe. "Do you wish to know now, even though it could affect...what we have?" His hand twitched upon Sunny's shoulder.

"I'd...rather it." Sunstreaker admitted hesitantly. "If you want to tell me..."

Thundercracker leaned over Sunstreaker, gazing into those optics, the color of ice. He thought for a moment. That familiar fear of rejection hit him, but he ignored it. It would be better to tell it now than let it go farther. "I have fallen for you, Sunny." he said simply. "Fallen hard, and I don't think I can stop it. I do not think I _want_ to stop it."

Sunstreaker's optics went wide. He stared at the seeker, mouth working wordlessly on ... something. Was it true? Could it be...? "I- I think I- " His vocalizer froze again and he looked down, frowning in frustration with himself. "I... Me too... I've never... had someone, want me. Except Sides, but he doesn't really get a choice." He said bitterly.

"Then stay with me now, Sunstreaker. I want you, I need you. And I will not let you go." He lay back down, feeling satisfied that he'd been told the truth. And that feeling lifted him higher than the sky.

Sunstreaker's lips twisted. "I- I can't. The war-"

"Then stay with me tonight, and whenever we can." Thundercracker sighed. Always the slagging war, always something. His so-called comrades would cheerfully take Sunstreaker from him. His lips set into a hard line. He was _not_ going to allow that to happen.

Sunstreaker stayed quiet, letting the Seeker pull him close. He was contented, for now. But this was a problem. He still was loyal to the Autobot cause. He was still very much a part of the war. But... He didn't want to lose Thundercracker. Or Starscream for that matter. Or any of this. "Yeah..." He tentatively linked his fingers with Thundercracker's. "Yeah."

TC squeezed Sunstreaker's hand gently. "I _will_ find a way." He said it in that tone that promised, the one that had captured Sunny's attention when they had first met off the battlefield.

Sunstreaker sighed. And he found his spark sincerely wanted Thundercracker's words to be true. _*Please Primus*_ He thought, shuttering his optics down for recharge. _*Please let it be true.*_


	6. Chapter 6

_Greetings, faithful readers. Here is the latest update for our cracked-out AU. A little note- fic by definition is 98% guaranteed to be AU, and this one's no exception. We've also added a bit of background to the characters here, because they have a horrible habit of jumping up and down in our minds, screaming to be heard. It's worse than a Chihuahua who got into the sugar. Anyway, this chapter is a bit different from the previous five. Definitely darker. The next one will be a lot fluffier and nicer, so if this isn't your thing, don't give up on us completely, ok? On with the show!_

_Pairings: Sideswipe/Sunstreaker, Sideswipe/Starscream, Sunstreaker/Thundercracker._

_Warnings (this is important folks): **Strong H/C themes**, **recalled noncon (nongraphic)**, **recalled dubcon (again nongraphic)**, recalled violence, mentions of character death (non-canon), sticky, sparkmerging, twincest (graphic twincest at that), and one human cussword. Again, please remember that this is AU. Thanks :D_

_Disclaimer: Not mine, not Katea-Nui's, but you'd think they were, as they've camped out in our heads. Maybe we should charge them rent. _

_Author's note: The Twins and the Seekers demand reviews or they're hauling our afts to Cybertron._

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><p>It was the throbbing in his chassis that woke him to the near dark of the hidden room. He was groggy and disoriented for several moments before some reality came back to him and Sunstreaker remembered where he was. Which was currently held quite firmly against a certain blue Seeker's side, one arm wound around his waist. Said Seeker was still in recharge. And then the throbbing reminded him why he was up.<p>

Frag it. He and Sideswipe had forgotten to merge last night. And with all the added emotions from the cycle before, his spark was protesting the out of sync beat it was having with its other half. And it was starting to ache.

"Sides!" He hissed, taking a firm hold of Thundercracker's wrist and wriggling out of the seeker's hold. "Sideswipe!"

Sideswipe's optics flickered, but he could hear the distress in his twin's voice, and once his systems finally booted up fully, he realized why. Starscream's grip had lessened a bit during their recharge, and he slid sinuously out of the Seeker's arms, making sure that he was still fully in recharge. Sides wasn't sure if the Seekers knew that they had to do this periodically, that it was more than a want; it was a NEED, or else they both suffered. "Sunny. I'm here. But we need to move, 'cause we shouldn't wake them up. I don't know if they know we have to merge. And I don't want to upset Stars, not after.." He bit his lip. "Over here. The floor's hard, but it'll do."

"Yeah. Fine." Sunstreaker replied shortly, crasling over Starscream's frame to the end of the berth and then to the floor. As soon as his brother was in reach, he yanked him into a hard kiss, pressing their chest plating as close together as he could. Despite the harshness of the kiss, he was gentle as he pushed his brother to the floor, settling between his legs. "Didn't get to finish..." He groaned quietly.

"No, we didn't. And I like having you to myself sometimes. It was so hot watching you on TC, though, Sunny." Sideswipe returns the kiss with one of his own, deliberately grinding up to scrape gently against his brother's already scratched pelvic plating. Hands reached up to stroke Sunstreaker's arms, his neck, and traced down his chestplates, his fingertips worming their way into the really sensitive places that he'd learned about over the years.

Sunstreaker moaned softly, own shaky hands stroking over the scored insides of his brother's thighs. Red paint on white. It was rather an amusing thought. Maybe the others would think Sideswipe was more flexible than they believed. But the amusement was quickly replaced with his rising need and he pressed down. "Need you... Hope you're ready _now_ cause I don't think I can wait..."

"I'm ready. Always ready for you, Sunny." His panel slid aside, revealing that Sideswipe was telling the truth- he was very ready indeed, the lingering remnants of last night's activities augmenting present arousal. "Give it to me, Sunshine. Wanna feel you. All of you." He pulled his brother's aft closer with both hands, intentionally grinding harder against his bare, wet valve.

It was no conscious effort for his panel to snap aside, spike pressurizing instantly. "Gonna have to do this fast... And quiet." Sunstreaker warned. He was NOT getting caught bonding. That was a level of intimacy he wasn't sure he was ready for others to see. He slowly slid into his brother, feeling the walls, still relatively stretched, adjust around his length. He stifled the groan with a knuckle and as soon as the wave of pleasure had passed and he was fully seated, he looked down at his brother. He let his chestplates part, a dull blue glow falling over his brother's frame.

"Oh yes, oh frag." Sideswipe gasped, very softly, mindful of the two Seekers who lay so close. He bit his lips to stifle the noises Sunny _always_ made him make, and willed his own chestplates apart, the glow identical to his brother's, already reaching toward its other half. "Now, Sunny, please, please, now." he said, very softly. His optics flickered with retrained emotion, his valve flexed around the thick spike with clear intent.

Sunstreaker groaned, pulling out almost to the tip before thrusting both spark and spike into his Twin. He bit his knuckle again to keep the cry from being too loud at the sudden feeling of his brother with him in ALL ways. He needed this, to feel his spark wrap and entwine with Sideswipe's and his hips moved of their own accord as he lost himself in their bond.

For a moment, he was complete. One. A lovely word, a word that almost everyone else took for granted...but most people weren't literally one spark in two bodies, weren't constantly seeking the other half of them that made them who they were. They complemented each other. Sometimes, a mirror. Most times, in fact. But now it was as it should be. Sideswipe felt all the pent up emotions, the doubt, the pain, the indifference used as a mask to keep the unwary away, and the fierce love his brother had for him, a love that literally would never die until they did. The whirl of meeting Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker; discovering that they really were not enemies, now that he knew them- they were...somewhat more, especially the dark Seeker who took special significance in the shared thoughts of the merge. "S-" Sideswipe bit down _hard_ on his own hand, the hard thrust filling him, the spark warming him, and the crawl of shared ecstasy shooting through his sensor net like lightning.

Sunstreaker knew without Sideswipe having need to complete his name that he was calling for him. He could feel the need for understanding, what it took for Sideswipe to keep up the smile, his brother's pain, doubts, and irritation with everything at times laid bare. Even the budding emotions for the Seekers. Sunstreaker bit harder, metal armor denting and fuel lines breaking, the sharp tang of his own energon flooding his glossa. He threw a pulse at his brother, hips surging and ebbing like a tide, reaching for completion.

A soft cry escaped- "_Yes_-" and Sideswipe returns the pulse, not nearly as strongly because that's not _his_ way, but he makes up for it by following the first with a second right on its heels. His hips surge up, legs wrapping around his twin's waist, back arching to force Sunstreaker deeply inside him, wordlessly encouraging him.

_/SIDESWIPE!/ _ He cried through their bond, a loud whine breaking through before he could stop it. He quickly bit down again, ignoring easily the pain that flared in his hand from the abuse. He would bitch later, but right now this was all he needed. He pulsed again, driving harder into his twin, pressing their chests as close as he possibly could.

"Sunny! FRAG YEAH!" Sideswipe shrieked aloud, forgetting to keep it to their bond, forgetting to keep silent, lost in the thrust and slide and burning heat that was his twin brother, keeping him on the edge of overload and leaving him _hanging_, just not HARD enough, and he wanted to _hear_ that voice whispering in his audios, wanted to feel him in every way possible.

Two lazy laughs greeted his cry, and Starscream said, "Oh, don't stop _now_, you've just gotten started!"

Thundercracker's optics were locked onto Sunstreaker, watching him pressed fully against his red twin, and a low rumbling growl echoed...but it wasn't in anger that those optics glowed, it wasn't in a desire to hard that those hands clenched. "That is one of the _hottest_ things I have ever seen, Starscream." TC remarked offhandedly.

Sunstreaker froze, hand halfway to clamping over his twins mouth and he heard and felt sideswipe's desperate whine. Frag. Frag it. This was exactly what he _didn't_ want happening...

Beneath him, Sideswipe squirmed. "Sunny! Frag it, move!" he could sense his Twin's embarrassment, but he was too fragging close to care at the moment.

Starscream slid off the berth, his wingtips twitching in good humor and obvious lust. "Don't stop, Sunny, your brother needs it. Needs it hard and fast and _intense_, just the way you give it. I want to see that. I want to see you make him scream for you. Scream _under_ you. Because then I have something for all of us, and then...then you can have me."

Thundercracker just stared, those intense dark garnet optics flaring to jewel tones in the almost nonexistent light, the pale blue of the twins' sparks shining through the pair with a pulsing brightness. "Sunstreaker, so beautiful. Do not be afraid of sharing with your twin- you need to. It will balance you as surely as I can, in different ways. Let go, Sunny." His tones were low with lust, and he restrained himself from moving over to join them- this was their time, he knew.

Sunstreaker shuddered, still rather determined to finish this quickly now. the spell had been broken, so to speak, and his embarrassment was acute, even with the lustful, encouraging words. He sent an apology to his brother as his thrusts sped up again, this time with the intent to finish quickly.

Sideswipe sent back his understanding, pulling his brother into a kiss as he groaned in delight, hips rising to meet each frantic thrust. His spark pulsed harder, beat synchronizing with his brother's and he threw his helm back when the charge peaked and released him. Above him he heard Sunstreaker cry out, the sound quickly muffled.

He had clamped his hand to his own mouth, transfluid bursting in his brother at the moment his spark flared brightly. They were evened out now, more balanced and Sunstreaker pulled away, closing his chest plating while his spark was shielded by his brother's chest then watched as Sides closed his, albeit more slowly.

Starscream had slipped behind his trinemate and was stroking the edges of his wings in a practiced sweep, fingers and thumbs clamped precisely in a slide that sent shivers up Thundercracker's backstruts. His lips were fully occupied with nibbling on _something_ between the blue Seeker's wings, something that actually made TC shudder when he nipped at it.

Thundercracker's optics were still locked upon the twins, and he held out a hand to stop Starscream for a moment. "Calm yourself for half a breem-all of us need fueling, and then, then we might be able to...Play." The implications of that word brightened TC's gaze.

Sunstreaker, far calmer with his spark back in synch, glanced once at Thundercracker and Starscream, nodded sharply and marched for the door. Sideswipe watched him go, a small frown followed by a roll of optics accompanied his groan as he sat and stretched.

"Sunflower's sulking." He stated as explanation.

"...Sunflower?" Starscream reluctantly quit playing with TC's wings, moving to a barely-visible alcove in the room and retrieving several cubes, one for each of them. It was better-quality than basic Decepticon rations, because Starscream had made this place expressly for his use, and fragged if he was going to subsist on that slag when he didn't have to. Star hands them around with a grin.

Thundercracker sits next to Sunstreaker with his cube. He didn't mean to make him uncomfortable, not in the least. "Talk to me, please." It wasn't a command, not in the least, but a question, a hand reaching out to try and understand.

Sunstreaker sighed, taking a cube himself. "There nothing to say." He already knew he couldn't explain the embarrassment or the fact that it was intimate. The only mech who knew aboard the Ark that they even needed to sparkmerge was Ratchet, and only then because he was a medic and knew these things.

"Yes, Sunflower." He ignored his brother's glower from across the room. "Sunbeam, Sunshine, Dandelion O' Doom."

"You're treading dangerous ground, Sides..." Sunstreaker growled.

Thundercracker nodded; he wouldn't force it. Not when it seemed to bother Sunstreaker so much. He could do something, though...and he did. He took a fingertip and raised Sunstreaker's chin up. "Everything I said before we went into recharge still stands." He withdrew his finger and sat back, giving the mech some space, but willing to offer reassurance if needed.

"Said before recharge..." Starscream's dark faceplates darkened further, remembering what HE had said in the throes of passion, with Sideswipe rocking back and forth on his spike until he couldn't do anything but scream. "Yeah, that." The normally verbose Starscream was short of words, and he hurriedly began gulping his energon.

"Uh... yeah." He rubbed at the back of his helm lightly, hand twitching with the crescent gash from his denta. He moved his hand to examine it. Frag. Just another thing he had to explain to Ratchet.

Sideswipe grinned like a loon, drinking his energon at a much more sedate pace and leaned against his winged lover. "So, you love me?" He murmured cheekily.

Starscream sputtered. "Uh...I...well, I..." He looked at the walls, the berth...oh, not there, bad idea Starscream!...the ceiling... "Yes." he finally admitted, and gulped the last of his cube down, looking at the floor. "I think I do. I _know_ I do. Frag it all."

Thundercracker noticed this, and grabbed the injured hand. His left optic ridge raised, he unsubspaces a small kit. "Hold still." This _was_ a command, obviously so, as he reached in a pulled out standard first aid supplies- a small bit of metallomesh bandage, nanite gel, and that wonderful human invention known as duct tape. He tore the tape with his denta, and eyed Sunstreaker. "Are you going to resist this?"

His lips twisted in amusement, even as he eyed the duct tape with disdain. Fragging stuff left _residue_ damn it. "I have been worse off, you realize. This hardly registers."

Sideswipe's engine revved happily and he got to his knees to plant a kiss on Starscream's cheek with a big wet 'splak'. "Knew it! I'm irresistable!" He leaned in. "Wanna know a secret? Love you too. Sunny does also. Just doesn't know it yet."

Thundercracker took it as permission and proceeded to pack the bite with gel, then bandaging it securely, actually making sure to keep the sticky stuff to a minimum. He explained, "Hook put this slag on my _wings_ once, to patch them. I think it took a decacycle of scrubbing to get it off. I finally used steel wool. The idiotic crane put an entire roll of it on a wound the size of Starscream's fist." He shakes his head, checking the edges to make sure it's secure.

The kiss made Star smile, even as sloppy as it was. The words sent him into the stratosphere. A familiar fear clenched over his spark, though- what always happened when someone claimed feelings for him? Starscream knew he wasn't perfect. His redeeming qualities had been burned away by vorns upon vorns of war. He was...tired of that. Tired of fighting. It was still part of him, though, what had shaped him. The words fell out before Starscream thought them out, just as they had so many times before. "Please don't just be saying that. If you are, if you just want...me, that's okay. I...I can deal with that. I'm _used_ to it."

"Starscream-" Thundercracker's voice was almost warning him off.

"No, Thundercracker. Just...no. You don't get it. You aren't the one..you don't...never MIND." The cube hits the wall, then, where Starscream had thrown it, small bits of plastiglass littering the floor like diamond dust.

Sunstreaker stared at the wall and then slowly turned empathizing optics on Starscream. He knew what that was like. He also knew just _how_ serious his brother was about to get.

Sideswipe was looking at the cube dust, optics shading darker as he turned them on the shaking Seeker. With gentle, but stern pressure, he grabbed Starscream's face and turned it so he could stare those brilliant rubies in the optics. "I don't say things without meaning them." There was no teasing in his voice. No cheerful lilt that always colored everything he did. This was serious, he would treat it as so. "I'm not slagged enough to do that."

Those optics looked defeated and broken. Not imperious and arrogant and everything that both sides claimed, certainly not the one who, according to the poll taken in the Ark's rec room, had no spark because he'd either devoured it for power, or that Megatron had it in a jar on his desk. Starscream just stared.

Thundercracker stood up. "Sideswipe, I know you have the best intentions, and that you probably do care for him a great deal...but you don't know him, not really." TC didn't say it to harm, not to be cruel- it was pure fact. "He has...and still...goes through a lot that you two probably would not believe or understand if I told you."

But Sunstreaker's optics were focused bright and earnest on his brother, following Sideswipe's thought patterns to their inevitable end. _ /Don't do anything stupid, bit brain./_

_/Slag off, Sunny!/ _The slight venom in the reply had Sunstreaker reeling back in surprise. But Sideswipe kept his focus, face serious and optics earnest. "Tell me what to do, Stars." He said, almost desperate. They'd found this. Him and his brother. Here they weren't just killers, or warriors. He didn't want to lose it. Not when he felt this strongly about his former enemies. "Tell me what I have to do to get you to believe me."

"I...Sides, I..." Starscream looked fragging miserable. "He uses me, you know. And I let him. Because I am not alone then. Skywarp and I...but that was forever ago. And Skyfire...but you know how _that_ turned out. My fault. You don't _want_ me. I am trouble. And I know this as I know my own designation."

Thundercracker moved to intercept Sideswipe, to pull him away from his trineleader, because he knew that bad things tended to happen when Star got like this. It didn't happen often, but...and then his admission about all _that_...he hoped to Primus that they didn't pursue that line of questioning, or that if they did, Star would be too far gone to answer.

Starscream finally looked up. His normally ruby optics were faded, his wings almost closing around himself. "I should...I should go." And he actually rose to do it.

Sunstreaker had moved to grab his twin as well, not wanting this to be over because he cherished it more than he wanted to admit. however, his brother's next thought had him frozen in place, optics wide.

Sideswipe clung. He clung desperately. He wasn't losing more to this fragging war or to Megatron. He didn't need to be told to know what Starscream meant. He wasn't as stupid as everybody liked to pretend he was. He pressed down a little, and there was the sound of creaking and locks clicking and then a pearlescent blue glow filled the room. "Please...?" His own voice was slightly broken, struggling to retain his own emotion. "Please don't go, Starscream..."

Starscream turned. His optics widened. "Sides. What are you..." He saw the glow. Knew what it meant. And something clicked in his mind. Finally. The sarcastic, roughened part of himself tried to tell him that this, above all things, would tell him the truth, and Starscream, the one who'd been lurking about for a little while now, shoved it away and told it to shut the frag up.

Thundercracker's optics were just as wide, and he took a step forward. "If you hurt him-" he said, steel in his tone, and then he saw the look in Sideswipe's optics, the trembling of his lips. "...you won't hurt him." he finished, stepping back toward Sunstreaker, feeling the need to be near him. "It's all true, Sunstreaker. For all three of us." He grabbed his lover's hand, hoping that that admission wouldn't drive him away, since he had been used by the one they had all be trained to hate.

Starscream took a step further...toward Sideswipe. And another. And another. And another until he held onto his shoulders in a death grip, refusing to let go. "Don't...hate me, please don't...you won't like what you _see_ in me.." And he forced himself to open himself to Sideswipe. The casing was not in the best of repair- scratched in places, a long crack in the crystalline barrier that looked relatively recent- but the spark that shone through wasn't the red of a killer. It was Seeker gold.

Sideswipe's optics snapped down to the brilliant spark and they shaded in awe and wonder. It was beautiful. He ignored the grip on his shoulders, which was nearly painful. Ignored everything outside of Starscream as his gaze travelled back to thos dark faceplates, twisted with pain and uncertainty. His hands stroked them softly, thumbs following the cheek seams of the regal features. "Don't think... you'll like everything you'll see either..." His life in the pits wasn't a happy one. Far from it. The only comfort he ever had was his brother. Sunstreaker, who was far more a beast then. "Don't hate us either... Don't want to lose you."

Sunstreaker's grip on Thundercracker's hand had his wound screaming at him despite the bandaging and everything else. He shook, torn between stopping his brother and letting it happen. "I'll fucking kill him" He said darkly, protectiveness adding to the dark string of emotions awakened in him. The human curse word seemed to put everything into such harsh contrast. "He's a dead mech walking."

"He's worse than the spawn of Unicron, Sunny-" Thundercracker said softly. "He would destroy you. He would take your brother and kill him in front of you in the most horrible way possible, and then maybe allow you to slip into the Well. Don't. Please." There was fear in those words, but they were what Thundercracker believed was true. He grasped Sunstreaker's other hand and pulled him in close, sheltering him...but not from the truth. He'd given him that already.

"You are beautiful, Sideswipe." And Star tentatively, slowly but surely drew him in.

Contact.

The first thing Starscream showed him was flight- the wind around your body, the clouds only a breath between here and there, cool moisture tickling sensors on your altmode, and rising higher and faster just because you wanted to. It was freedom, it was release. It was the first, last, and all to a Seeker. But then a black cloud touched down, raining destruction from what was then an unknown force. It burned all that it touched, destroying the spires and towers, the buildings...wide, airy buildings where winglets once played, now filled with screams of pain and panic from the flaming assault. Vos was falling, and its Winglord could not save it. Could not save anyone, much less himself. He dug in the rubble, several small limbs best left unidentified scattering to ash in his grip as he searched the remains of the Flight Academy's nursery wing, a high-pitched screaming all he could hear.

It wasn't until later, much later, that Skywarp told him that that scream, that terrible sound had come only from him. He would have been lost, there, if not for Skywarp, who'd for the first time teleported someone other than himself, his chosen lover and wingmate, out of the area where the ceiling fell. Starscream clung to Sideswipe at the memory, hands convulsing spasmodically against his back. "Not...not over yet-" he gasped.

Even as these memories flashed through, each feeling here and there with each image, Sideswipe's spark was giving some of his own. Cold and hungry in the streets, little tanks groaning painfully. Too little to fight back when something bigger came along for whatever energon they could find. Running from mechs who would sell them into slavery, breaking Sunstreaker out of a whorehouse in the slower slums of Kaon. Then when they were bigger. The first mech he killed, the dark satisfaction of finally being able to fight back. the feral smile of his brother as he tore a gangmember's helm from his shoulders.

He clung to Starscream, his face shoved into his shoulder.

Sunstreaker shuddered where he was, optics dimming with each memory he recieved from his brother. The new ones from Starscream, the ones of their lives he tried so desperately to forget. His hand clutched Thundercracker's, frame shaking with the need rip something apart and seek comfort. "I swear, I'll kill him." He repeated.

Thundercracker held onto the golden twin, feeling him shake in anger and remembered fear and everything that was obviously backlashing through him- it was apparent that the twins were a lot closer than anyone really knew. "Sunstreaker. I am here, I am going nowhere. Look at me. You need to control it. Channel it into something else. You can't help anything right now, it's not the time. Listen to me, Sunstreaker." His grip turned harder, and he pulled Sunstreaker down, both of them kneeling on the floor. He knew Sunny wouldn't resist, not right now. Right now, Sunstreaker needed...Control. Maybe not the kind that Thundercracker had been using. Maybe it was time for Sunstreaker to do as he felt he needed to.

TC looked into those icy optics, dim from all the hurt inside him, all the loss and anger. He was still in control. He chose.

"I give myself to you, in this moment. Take what you need."

The killing didn't bother Star in the least; he had at least a dozen, a _hundred_ dozen, images of Starscream doing the same thing, whether it be by guns, null rays, or on at least one occasion, bare hands. The result was the same- a spark sent home, a life gone forever. Star showed him his life as a sparkling- very lonely, filled with schooling and protocol. As the Winglord's creation, it was to be expected. And then the Winglord deactivated, in what was called an accident. Starscream was named to take his place, barely out of his youngling frame. He took a hiatus from the city, to go on an interspace journey with his soon-to-be bondmate, and then Skyfire had crash landed...that memory was intertwined with him being found, the joy his spark had found, and then the despair at the rejection and Megatron's order to offline his former lover. He hadn't, and had recieved punishment for that, a harsh one...it took two decacycles for his wings to heal.

All this and more. Starscream's joy at being named Air Commander. The first time he'd been chosen to come to Megatron's berth...and the slinking walk back to his own quarters when he's been ordered to leave, to recharge elsewhere. And he kept returning and coming back, all for a hope that never existed to begin with.

_**Tighter. Hold on tighter, Sides. I don't want you to go.**_

Sideswipe's arms tightened in immediate response, his own memories cycling against the flood. Servos holding him down, using him to get at his twin. Watching his twin cry in pain and fear as his virtue was taken without his choice. The own dark hate he had for those mechs, killing two in a fit of fury. His brother not touching anything for days, broken, beaten. Their entrances into the Pits, fighting for survival. The shamed joy they took from taking another's life. Their own hard earned home blowing to the pits, fighting off Decepticons to get somewhere safe. Joining the Autobots, outcast for being what they were, being where they were from. A harsh sob he stifled in the Seeker's shoulder. Shared pain. Hurting. But he offered up the good things too.

The first time he and his brother were intimately joined. The first time their sparks found the other's, just like coming home. The first time he used his jetpack, feet leaving the ground with exhilaration. The first friend they'd made between them, Bluestreak walking and blathering on about everything and nothing. The rough care of Ratchet, so different than what they were used to. The welcoming smile of the new Prime, his unbiased optics bringing them to the Ark. Annoying Prowl, training with Ironhide... Finding a family. And then Starscream and Skywarp. And Sunstreaker's feelings for Thundercracker as well.

_**Don't want to be anywhere else.**_ His spark spoke for him.

Sunstreaker didn't bother to fight back the emotion, surging forward for a desperate kiss, spark reaching for Thundercracker's even through the closed plating. He held his larger lover's helm in place as he pulled him close, wanting a connection deeper than he'd thought, and fearing rejection just as much as Thundercracker did.

"I will _never_ reject you. I _love_ you, Sunny." came the soft voice, the strong, willing arms...and Thundercracker opened up for the first being, other than his trinemates, ever in his function. He pressed closer, giving Sunstreaker the choice, always the choice- to take was _wrong_, those who did so were _wrong_ in the worst possible way...so he gave. Gave, and waited. And while he waited, Thundercracker brought his lips to Sunstreaker's in a gentle kiss, a brushing of derma that quickly became much, much more.

_**Don't leave me, don't. I...Sides, I love you. I do. And I..don't want to go back.** _The admission was strong, and Starscream kissed his lover, kissed him hard and long, allowing him to see a few other things... The way he saw Sideswipe, kissed by sun, smiling, always happy, even if now he knew that that wasn't always the case. The crimson of his armor, his deadly dance, the fierce protectiveness that infused every inch of his form. Sunstreaker, almost like a statue-cold and unforgiving, until he allowed you in; then, his passion was hotter than the sun he took his designation from. He pushed himself closer in, with his scientist mind screaming a warning-_ /don't do this for too long, idiot, or.../ **Protect me...and I will do the same for you. As best as I can.**_

Sideswipe groaned, pressing as deep as he could. Starscream really saw all of that in himself and Sunstreaker? Pit, _he_ didn't even see that. So he returned it with his own images. The way the Seekers (but above all Starscream) flew, their wings spread and the way they streaked through the sky. The way his spark sped up when Starscream threw _that_ smile at him, or when Starscream laid himself open with such trust. How much joy he gained from giving as well as taking when it came to them.

_**Always.**_

And then he threw his helm back with a shout as the energy peaked and overloaded his systems, optical feed whiting out almost before he could lock his joints to keep from collapsing.

Sunstreaker's armor pulled back tentatively, his spark an eddying whirl of emotion, tight and curled in on itself, even now afraid. He would be laying himself bare, showing the deepest parts of himself to a mech he admired and didn't want to lose. Rape? He knew it. Fear? It was a constant companion. Love? Only for his twin had it ever been so strong. But he steeled himself as he always did and rode the crest of his brother's overload, spark surging forward as he brought their sparks together, blue compacting with gold. He had taken the step over the edge. Now he either hit the bottom, or was caught.

"-sides!" The cry was barely heard, static-filled and breaking into a thousand pieces, Starscream's strangled whisper brushing past Sideswipe's audios. He broke. All Star could do was hold on...hold on tight and follow the wave, this new current that took him higher and farther than he'd ever thought he could fly. His spark cried out in its release, a silent whirl, brushing across his lover's-his _love's-_ spark in a caressing glide, his overload rolling across their forms with an electric crawl, licking over seams and fingers and wingtips, all the way around...and Star fell, into a crumpled heap, his chestplates sliding closed in an autonomic defense, systems shut down for now.

Thudercracker held Sunstreaker close, in a deep blue shelter of steel, love, and protection. Gold met azure once more, but this meeting was far more intense, the feelings already shared and doubled back from their trinemate/brother/lover/other half? that lay beside them._ **Fall, and I will catch you. Kneel, and I will help you stand. Walk, and together we shall fly.**_ The deep tones, mental though they may be, were accompanied by several sharp pulses, the words echoes by feelings, true emotions that one cannot hide when speaking from their soul.

Sideswipe fell to his hands and knees, his plating closing in automatic response to his energy starved systems. He groaned softly, frame flopping beside that of his offlined lover. He threw and arm around him and pulled himself close, focusing on supporting his brother with what little strength he had.

Sunstreaker's intakes hitched, fingers clenching and unclenching convulsively. There was so much there in Thundercracker's spark, so much he never would have guessed of the proud Seeker. Megatron's designation was tainted with so many memories that stirred his own... The nights in the whorehouse, being pawed at, but unable to escape; that one horrid cycle where his brother's life had been threatened and he'd had to force himself to let his frame be dominated and used. And with those memories and Megatron's face, a fierce fire and protectiveness welled from the deepest parts of his spark, promising death and a safe place. _**Yes...**_ He whispered into the connection. And then he spoke no more, letting his spark do the talking for the first time with another that wasn't his brother.

_**Mine. Yours?...yours. I will. I _choose_.**_ Thundercracker held tight, his wings shaking, his hands clutching perhaps too tightly to the frame in front of him...beloved, worshipped frame, Sunstreaker, death's grace, his artistry not limited to that with canvas and ink, but within that carefully hidden side of himself that only Sideswipe had known until now. Thundercracker showed him something- when he said that Sunny was beautiful, he wasn't even looking at his face, not even looking at his form- he looked into those optics, into what lie beneath. Into the darkness that none dared to breach. Except him. And he gave. Quiet strength. Comfort. Control, control when Sunstreaker could no longer find his. The kind that only came of giving, because to Thundercracker, he did it for Sunstreaker. Only a _bad_ dom hurt without provocation, took without permission, used without free will, hurt instead of healed. He would hold him close, under his wings, but never would hold him back. He felt something slip within him and his spark flared, gold licking across equally golden plating, Thundercracker crying out against his lover in a release he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

Sunstreaker gasped, vocalizer fritzing on a scream that made it crackle as charge peaked and sent him over. Only he didn't crash into the ground far below. He was carried, the wave cresting through him gently and he broke, clinging with wordless sobs to the blue plating, coolant falling down his cheeks. He buried his face against Thundercracker's cockpit, the moment it had closed and shook.

"Sshhh. I am here. I am _here_." One hand reached up to wash coolant tears from Sunstreaker's face, and Thundercracker held him close, almost rocking him in his arms. "It looks as if...It looks as if we are...not going back. I will not put Starscream through that again, and I do not believe that your brother would _allow_ him to return, not after that." He looked at his wingmate and Sideswipe, lying out cold on the ground, partially intertwined despite the fact that they'd fallen offline at different moments. _*You can't keep them apart.*_ his processor supplied, and he smiled. A real smile.

"No..." Sunstreaker said hoarsely, rebooting his vocalizer to clear the static. He swiped at his own face, clearing the evidence of his weakness from his faceplates. "I won't allow it either." He growled. "So Skywarp better get his fragging aft here too."

"Oh, he's like a bad credit, always shows up sooner or-"

*VOIP*

A flash of violet radiation, and the aforementioned Skywarp pops in, hands on his hips, looking like nothing less than a fragged-off cheated-on wife from Jerry Springer. He surveyed the scene before him, one finger at his lips. Starscream and Sideswipe passed out on the floor, Thundercracker hoding Sunstreaker as if he were an overgrown winglet who didn't want to go to recharge. No copious fluids, just the strong scent of ozone and electricity.

"What the _frag_ went on here?"

* * *

><p><em>Dun dun dunnnnnnn. Cliffhanger!<em>

_Guess that's better than CliffJUMPER. Anyway, review? Please? O.O_


	7. Chapter 7

We promised more fun in this chapter, and here it is! Teeny bit of angst near the end, but mostly this is happyfuntiemz between our lovely jets and cars.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed us; it means a lot to us to see when we're doing something right. Or even doing something wrong; feedback is feedback!

Pairings: Sideswipe/Skywarp/Starscream, Thundercracker/Sunstreaker

Warnings: Threesome, oral, sticky smut, angst, crossfaction fun time!

Disclaimer: not ours!

* * *

><p>Sideswipe's optics tracked the angrily pacing Seeker with amusement as Skywarp continued to rant and rave. To his surprise, the Seeker knew almost more human swear words than Ratchet did. Too bad Ratchet could repeat every swear in almost every language, otherwise Skywarp might have had him beat. It had taken some time for his processors to reboot after that mind-blowing and emotional overload, and when he had come back online, it'd been to some very displeased and put off faceplates.<p>

Even though his cheeky, 'Hi, Warp' had gotten him a small grin.

Now here he sat, after being forced to by the angry teleporter, Starscream's hand securely wrapped in his own. Sunstreaker sat to his left, leaning against Thundercracker but trying to look like he wasn't. It just added to the humor of the situation in his opinion.

"You all just think you can _leave_ me out, just because I'm not around whenever you feel the fragging itch. I matter, dumbafts. Or don't I?" Skywarp actually looked a little hurt at this, looking at the obvious closeness between the two couples.

Because that's what they were, to Skywarp. Couples, which left _him_ out as a fifth (literally!) wheel. Sunstreaker was failing miserably at not cuddling up to TC, and Sideswipe and Starscream seemed as close as two lovers who'd just...

"Oh /_hell_ naw...please tell me you fraggers didn't go and _BOND_ while I was out on patrol? Hel-_LO_, we have factions here, and jobs to do." Was this _Skywarp_ lecturing on responsibility?

Starscream opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Thundercracker just looked at his trinemate in amusement, shaking his head at the display.

Sunstreaker kept his opinions to himself. What did it matter that Skywarp hadn't been here? There would be other times, it wasn't like this was the last time ever. Thundercracker had _promised_... He snorted, shifting to keep his optics on the teleporter with amusement clear in their icy depths.

"Don't worry, Warp!" Sideswipe chirped, cheerful as a youngling who had gotten away with taking a goodie from the jar. "We didn't bond. Little sparkplay, maybe, but no bonding." His tone dropped a little, smile wavering on his next sentence. "It's... impossible for me and Sunny to bond..."

"WELL THAT'S GOOD I GUESS." Skywarp shouted...and the twin glares he recieved from his trinemates informed him that NO, it in fact wasn't good at all. "Um. I...really didn't mean that the way it sounded. It sucks that you can't bond, and why can't you _bond_?" Skywarp was more than a little confused, and the four pairs of optics that were centered on him were making him squirm, and not in the good way, either.

"Shut _up_, Skywarp." Starscream said. "We weren't intentionally 'leaving you out' of anything. We just...found them here. And things happened."

"A _lot_ of things happened." Thundercracker confirmed in a soft tone, stroking Sunstreaker's arm. "They know, 'Warp."

Sideswipe fidgeted himself, uncomfortable with the topic of bonding. He and Sunstreaker had discussed it, since they had been informed that split-sparked twins could indeed not bond unless it was to the same exact mech at the same exact moment. There were three in the equation here. Which automatically equaled no bonding. It was a sad thought for both twins, something Sunstreaker was unconsciously shrinking away from across their already established bond. Outwardly, he seemed no different, but to know it could never happen...

Sunstreaker watched as the teleporter's optics snapped to his blue trinemate's faceplates with stunned disbelief, and then looked dully at the twins before his mouth screwed up in frustration and he resumed his pacing as if to forget he'd just been told that. Sunstreaker could sympathize... He'd want to write it off as nothing as well.

"Fine. Whatever. I..._frag_." Skywarp flopped onto the berth, wings flattened out. "I'm just upset, I had a hard patrol...alone, I might add...and I thought that Sides actually might have liked me a little..." The black and purple Seeker almost seemed to shrink in on himself a little. Nobody took him seriously, _ever_, and he'd thought this would be different somehow.

Starscream felt as though he'd either like to hug or throttle Skywarp, though both at once was a tempting idea as well. "'Warp. Can you not understand that there was no intent to 'leave you out of it', for Primus' sake."

Thundercracker merely looked at Sunstreaker, knowing that there was _something_ on his processor; he just wasn't quite sure what. His hand kept up the gentle stroking, though, because he sensed that Sunny might still need it after the emotional catharsis earlier.

Sunstreaker leaned further into the treatment, his helm now lying against Sunstreaker's shoulder as he watched his brother, feeling the guilt and the need to make up for the misunderstanding twist through his twin's emotions. He snorted, making himself comfortable.

Sideswipe stared down at Skywarp in surprise, blinking as he leaned into the teleporter's field of vision with a serious look on his faceplates. "I _do_ like you, Warp." When it looked like Skywarp was about to launch into another self pitying speech, Sideswipe beat him to it. "Skywarp." He waited until he had the Seeker's attention.

"Shut up and kiss me, for Pit's sake."

Skywarp tilted his head. Starscream smirked. TC wanted to laugh.

And then it didn't matter anymore because Skywarp pounced, filling Sideswipe's lap with warm, squirming Seeker. Lips met lips in a heated slide, and Skywarp flicked his EM field around the three of them, pouring his awakening lust and the slight hurt into it. Starscream slid slightly off to the side, allowing Skywarp his time, his chance, and besides...watching his lover and his trinemate together was hotter than the pits in Kaon used to be.

"Did you wish to join them?" Thundercracker asked Sunny, shifting just a bit so that the golden twin could sit comfortably against the bulge of his cockpit glass. "Or would you prefer to stay here with me?" Thundercracker did nothing but ask- no heated touches, no coercion. Only the offer, freely given.

Sideswipe groaned, pressing into the kiss, hands seeking out Skywarp's aft and squeezing. He answered Skywarp's hurt with an unspoken apology, genuine remorse permeating his own EM field. "Didn't mean to leave you out." He murmured against Skywarp's lips, pulling away to cycle cooler air.

Sunstreaker watched for a moment before shaking his helm. He liked Starscream, and Skywarp reminded him quite a bit of his brother, enough to be desirable, but they just didn't have the same hold for him. Besides, he rather liked the view of the Seeker's aft from here and he sent an image capture to his brother, who snickered from behind those wide black wings.

Skywarp moaned loudly, grinding against Sideswipe unselfconsciously. He didn't care who was watching; in fact, the audience was doing _wonders_ for how hot he was currently feeling. With that in mind, he moved down to those sensitive neck cables, and he purred. "Just me and you, or is there gonna be another? You're shareable, Sides."

Starscream reached behind Skywarp and pinched his wingtips, knowing that that revved his trinemate more than almost anything else that anyone could do to him. "Maybe I could ride you, Sides, while he takes you again? You liked it last time. What do you think, pretty?" Starscream punctuated that with a sharp bite on one of Skywarp's wingtips, instead of the pinch, and the dark Seeker moaned loudly against the cabling he was mouthing.

Thundercracker understood, and moved Sunstreaker so that the mech was sitting in front of him, up against his chest, both facing the other three to enjoy the show. TC's hands stroked Sunny's plating, arms, chest, and up to his helm...back down again, and he bent to give his lover a soft kiss on the helm. "I am glad you are staying with me." he said simply.

Sideswipe groaned, the revving of his engine almost covering the sound. "Primus." He breathed, helm tilting back to give Skywarp more access, even as he kept an optic on Starscream, watching what he was doing, noting for future... endeavors. "Think I like the sound of that." His hands came up to stroke at Skywarp's cockpit, fingers rubbing the seal between glass and frame.

Sunstreaker smirked. "Glad I am too. Sides puts on a good show."

And this was true. Sunstreaker had sat in on a few of Sideswipe's conquests and frag, they always got him heated. His own hands rubbed at Thundercracker's arm and cockpit, not heavy and heated.

Not yet.

Starscream moved himself, then, shifting all three of them so that they could accomplish this. Skywarp willingly moved, despite the good feelings of fingertips teasing his cockpit glass- not many nonfliers knew _that_ little trick, and Skywarp supposed that Sides had been 'educated' by one of his trinemates on that particular zone. He pressed himself fully against Sides' aft, grinding his panel hard against it with his hands dragging Sides closer by the hips. Starscream slid under the pair, his own aft twitching fetchingly, those white wings trembling somewhat in anticipation.

"Do your worst." Starscream purred, knowing he could take it.

Sideswipe allowed himself to be pulled back, grinding into the hips against his aft, like a backwards lap dance. He smirked down at the tri-colored flier, purr falling from his lips. "Don't know what you're asking for, Star. Not you I'm afraid of overwhelming." His glance flicked to the side, catching his twin's attention before refocusing on Starscream. He dropped forward, chassis against cockpit and faces level, pushing his aft into the darker Seeker above him and growling like a feral thing.

"Hm, so you like to watch?" Thundercracker's tone was soft, in that low rumble that he was pretty sure did odd things to Sunstreaker's willpower. "You like watching your twin get fragged within an inch of his function, when he's crying out loudly in so much pleasure that it could send you over as well?" Thundercracker's touches remained innocent, so very innocent when held in contrast to his words. "You feel what he feels, I know this." This was said almost silently. "Will you feel it as if you were he?"

Sunstreaker shivered, optics darkening with uncontained excitement even after his twin had looked away. "Sometimes..." He answered his lover.

Sometimes he did get caught up in what Sideswipe was feeling and often times that led to almost BEING Sideswipe in a way. Especially so soon after reopening their bond. He shivered, practically feeling the warmth against his aft, and the smooth slide of cockpit glass along his chassis. His optics were riveted, fingers clenching slightly in excitement.

Thundercracker could feel the tenseness in Sunstreaker's frame, in the way he shivered slightly when Sideswipe looked at him with that smoldering gaze. His hands wrapped themselves lightly around Sunstreaker's wrists, and he pulled his lover closer. "Ride it out." he whispered. "I want to feel it, I want to see it."

Starscream noted the look as well and nodded, not nearly as worried because he knew that TC had Sunny well in hand, so to speak. He reached up for a kiss, wanting that contact, that rush he got whenever their lips touched, and then locked. "Want you so bad, Sides..." he moaned, looking up past him at Skywarp, who smirked widely.

"Star _always_ wants it, dirty little slut that he is, don't you, Star? Answer me, or you'll get nothing, you'll have to finger yourself in front of _all_ of us, instead of getting the spike you want so bad." Skywarp's tone was far from cruel; it was incredibly _hot_, and anyone with two working circuits in their processor would realize the effect on Starscream was about as far from degradation as it could get.

Starscream's chassis shivered wildly at Skywarp's words, and he moaned, "Please, I _need_ it."

Sideswipe's own optics were wide and he shivered right along with Starscream. The look on Starscream's face was an extreme turn on and he shivered a second time, not for the words but their effect. "Oh, slag." He whispered, hands and arms shaking where they supported him over Starscream.

A small whine left Sunstreaker's throat of its own accord and he shifted in Thundercracker's grip, tugging at his trapped wrists as he stared at his brother between the two Seekers with a hunger that was as naked as his spark had been merely a joor ago. While he wasn't much for dirty talk, Sideswipe could literally be brought to an overload with nothing more than a vibrator shoved in his valve and Sunstreaker whipering dirty things to him. In fact...

_/You're such a whore, Sides.../_ He purred across their bond, watching his brother shiver with a small whine.

"Hmm. _Both_ of you shaking under me? Could it be that I have a nice pair of little sluts who just want it and want it until I fill 'em up?" Skywarp's voice was ragged; little bursts of want causing his legs to shake. He followed his words with a knee between Sideswipe's thighs, spreading him wide. His panel snapped open and that black spike rubbed across Sideswipe's aft, hard and hot and almost pulsing. Oooh, if _both_ of them liked hearing that...Skywarp knew he'd have fun with that, later.

"Fraggit, 'Warp." Starscream keened, his own legs spread wide apart, his own panel already open to reveal a very wet valve, trickling lubricant onto the berth in a steady slide. He arched into Sideswipe, wanting so much, wanting to be filled by that thick spike and to feel that wonderful, wonderful rush that came from 'facing with someone who actually cared for him.

TC held fast, not harder, just firmly, still allowing Sunstreaker to pretty much move as he wished. He nibbled on Sunny's neck cabling, followed by a whisper. "I love the noises you make when you're aroused."

Sunstreaker's optics had drifted shut now, and although his hips jumped, an invisible valve closing silky walls around his spike which pulsed, he forcibly denied the query to open his panel. He focused on taking deep intakes, which was hard with the tingling slide of denta along his slats. Lubricant was beginning to pool inside his panel, not yet seeping out, but it clenched around nothing, calipers cycling down in need.

"Good, very good." Thundercracker praised, following it with a slow nibble down the side of Sunstreaker's neck again. "You are doing very well. How shall I reward you, hmm? Allow you to take me once more, perhaps?" His voice dropped to barely a whisper at that, heat beginning to pour off Thundercracker from both his own actions, the trembling frontliner in his lap, and the three on the berth.

Thundercracker allowed himself a long, low moan, shuddering against Sunstreaker. To test him, he thought, but in reality, it was because he wanted it just as bad as Sunny did.

And now wasn't THAT a thought... and with it fluttering through his processors, Sunstreaker lost the battle to keep his panel closed. It snapped open with a snick that was covered by Starscream's cry and his spike extended, valve dribbling lubricant into Thundercracker's lap. Usually, when he'd watched but not participated in the other encounters, he'd already have his hands on his spike and pumping. It throbbed for attention and he whined, squirming and spreading lubricant along his lover's thighs

Thundercracker laid Sunstreaker down on his back in a swift movement, his own panel already opened as well. He gazed deep into Sunstreaker's optics, the ice tempered with need and something less definable. His valve was glistening, wet not only because of the scene before him but with the idea of doing as he'd threatened, to ride Sunstreaker's spike until he couldn't take anymore. He balanced himself on his hands, finally freeing Sunny's, and slowly began to slide down Sunstreaker's spike, panting through his mouth at the pressure, the stretch, and the intense feeling that centered between his thighs.

Sunstreaker's optics snapped back on with a breathy little, "Oh!"

He stared up at Thundercracker's face, lust and affection in his optics and his hands came to rest shakily on Thundercracker's hips. He'd been pulled from his brother's thoughts and patterns by the all too real feel of a wet, tight valve closing over his spike. He thrust up, hilting himself with a low, feral moan, legs shaking and hands tightening.

TC's helm flew back and he stabilized himself with a grunt, the feeling of Sunny's spike knocking into the top of his valve almost overpowering. He moved his legs wider, opening himself fully, and began to move. Slightly up, then a slam down, finishing with a hard grind at the end. Over and over and over again, looking into Sunstreaker's optics the entire time, his valve clenching in an irregular rhythm. He forced himself to stay silent, swallowing the scream that came to his lips at the look on his lover's face.

Sunstreaker groaned, rocking up into the thrusts as Thundercracker rode his spike. The thought was heady, and it fogged his processors, his lips pulling into a snarl as he began to lose himself in the pleasure. Even as Thundercracker moved above him, he could _feel_ Skywarp as if the black seeker were in him. He groaned again, loving every second of this, wanting to never end even though he knew it would, far too soon.

"Don't hold back now, Sunstreaker." Thundercracker hissed, losing himself in this _feeling_, this give and take and stretch...The storm gathered around him, and he didn't know how to stop it. He grasped Sunny's hands, holding them tightly in his own, and rode him hard, his gaze never straying, never leaving. Soft moans and cries fell from his lips, a mixture of Sunstreaker's name, pleas to Primus, and the word 'yes' over and over. His wings were held taut, high on his back, quivering with every hard grind downward.

Sunstreaker cried out, bucking up with a particularly hard thrust as his brother's overload traveled through him. It pushed him that much closer to his own, but it was still just out of reach. With a snarl, he snapped up harshly, bringing Thundercracker down on his spike almost violently. He would later be surprised that he'd still had the presence of mind to not hurt the Seeker, but in that moment, there was nothing too hard or too much.

Thundercracker's vision gave way to static at the forceful thrust, and he cried out, almost a shriek...but it wasn't in pain. His legs squeezed more tightly around Sunstreaker, and he ground down just as fiercely, rocking back and forth harshly, but it wasn't enough. Wasn't nearly enough. So he took Sunstreaker by the shoulders and rolled them, putting himself firmly beneath Sunstreaker with his legs wrapped tightly around Sunny's waist, hips canted high. The sting of a slightly bent wing intensified the pleasure in his port, and he moaned loudly, looking up at his lover with trust, love. and respect.

"_Please_, Sunny. Want it." Thundercracker's voice shook and was higher-pitched than normal in need, and he clung tightly. "More. All of it. Frag me. Frag me hard." Garnet optics flared in want, and his hands flew to either side of his head.

Sunstreaker growled, hips surging forward as he sank his spike into his willing lover. Already charged nodes sent wave after wave of pleasure coursing through him and he grinned like a wild beast with each cry, groan and exclamation of his name. He could feel his brother's satisfaction and the heat of Thundercracker's optics and it was almost no time at all in which he had set a pounding pace, racing for his own overload. His hands pinned TC's wrists to the floor, and the Seeker cried out loudly, shivering.

"Oh. Oh...ahhhhhhh! Oh _frag_!" Thundercracker swore, trembling beneath Sunstreaker even though he tried not to, was trying very hard to remain still through the violent joining. It felt...so good... "Nnnngh...need..." he gasped, intentionally struggling under Sunstreaker's powerful grip, meeting every second thrust or so with his own hips. He could feel it coming. Rushing through him. "W-wings, Sunstreaker." he ordered shakily, his vision onlining to bring him the sight of his golden lover drilling him into the floor.

Sunstreaker leaned forward, hands reaching for and scratching down the wide blue wings, seeking the wingjoints as they shoved their way under Thundercracker's back. His fingers curled into the hinges, tugging gently, a counterpoint to the violent thrusts, before one moved a little higher, searching for that spot that Starscream had touched earlier that morning. He found it just as his charge peaked and his back snapped straight, a roar filling the room. His fingers curled and clenched where they were, dragging Thundercracker down into the hard thrust as he emptied himself into the Seeker.

Thundercracker moaned loud and long at the attention to his wing joints, and then realized what Sunny was going for. "No..not there, Sunny...oh no, oh yes...oh _please_ yes, right there _uuunnnhhhhhAH_!" The feeling of his fingertips digging into that hypersensitive area just between his wings made Thundercracker stiffen, his own fingers clamping down on Sunny's arms hard enough to dent, and his hips moved in an erratic pattern. He bit his lip hard enough to draw energon, and then he felt the heat, the rush, and the loud, feral roar hit him. His port cycled down hard, and he nearly screamed himself, his lips moving in wordless ecstasy.

"Sunstreaker, yes, I...oh, oh _my_..." he moaned through the overload, keeping his sonics in check by a combination of furious control and a desire not to short something important out. He remained wrapped around his lover as he panted, unable to speak, a thin trickling of energon trailing down his chin.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe keened quietly, burying his face in Starscream's neck, falling to his elbows as his legs were forced wide, consequently spreading Starscream's as well. The hot length rubbing against him and the wet heat against his paneling coupled with the dirty derogatory words was more than he could take and his own panel snapped open as well. His valve was lubricating quickly, spike half extended and he bit his lip against the next noise that wanted to come out.<p>

Sunstreaker squirmed, faceplates hot, and although he tilted his helm to the side to make more room for Thundercracker to play, his optics refused to leave the scene alone. Primus this was better than all those holovids that Jazz had. He breathed shakily, feeling a need to touch himself, but not wanting to ruin the illusion as his valve cycled down on nothing and his spike pushed against his housing.

Starscream shook underneath Sideswipe, wanting him inside him, hard, fast, and _now_. He knew that Skywarp was going to tease them both now, until they both ended up begging for it...and strangely, that idea didn't bother him all that much. He bucked upward insistently, his systems whirring faster, the air from his mouth almost steaming in the effort to dispel the heat. "Please, please, Sides, Skywarp, I need it so bad...so empty, hurts, want all of it!" He bit down on his lip to stifle anything else.

Sunstreaker's sytems where warm enough that the touch of his plating on Thundercracker's raised his core temperature by several degrees. The Seeker held Sunny close, not letting his hands free. "How long can you control, my Sunstreaker? How long can you hold off, watching _them_, feeling what he feels?" A brush of his denta across the slats of Sunny's helm fin probably didn't help matters...

"You'll get it when I say, and not until then." Skywarp's spike grazed across the heat around Sideswipe's entrance, smearing thick lubricant everywhere. "You can stick it in him, Sides. No fingers- Star likes to be stretched wide open, doesn't he? Spread open and _used_, used _hard_. He can take it. If you make him scream loud enough I'lll give it to you just like you do him. I'll frag you as hard as you frag him, got it? So if you want it good..." Skywarp trailed off, leaning forward to bite down gently on Sides' shoulder.

Sideswipe groaned, positioning himself at Starscream's entrance, the thought of not listening never crossing his processors. Slowly, he pushed in, shivering at the sheer squeeze on his spike and he growled, a more feral sound coming from his right, echoed by his brother.

Starscream bucked upward harshly, forcing Sideswipe further in, and he cried out _loudly_, not quite a shriek, but a loud, wordless call that echoed in the small space. His hands clutched at Sideswipe's hips, and he looked up, the plea in his optics. "More. More, Sides."

Skywarp nodded, quite satsified with Starscream's cry, and slid inside Sideswipe, moving a bit faster when he realized just how wet the red warrior was. He hilted himself, his hands now on Starscream's, wrapped around Sideswipe's hips, and a thought slid across his processor. "We move together." His hands held tight and he withdrew, pulling Sides out of Starscream as well...then slammed home, a litany of words falling from his lips.

"Starscream, pretty whore, aren't you? Tell us how much you like it, like being watched, like being used like this." Skywarp's ruby optics never left Star's face, which was twisted in ecstasy, lips quivering and unable to speak.

"Oh, STARS! WARP!" Sideswipe keened, hips moving not under his own power as he was slammed forward, feeling that valve clutch at him and then pulled back almost before he could feel it. The thick spike in his own valve kept him distracted and he thrashed between them, trying to go faster, trying to slow down.

So. Primus. Slagging. Perfect.

"Sky, love it, need it, so fragging good, don't stop don't stop oh _please_ Primus don't stop, I..." Starscream lost control of his vocalizer, but not of his port- he clamped down hard, intentionally, rippling the walls of his valve to stimulate every inch of Sideswipe's spike within him. "H-harder!"

The tightness of Sideswipe's valve was exquisite, Starscream's cries absolutely insane, and Sideswipe's cry of pure pleasure distracted Skywarp almost to the point of slowing down. What caused him to hitch was watching his blue trinemate lower himself onto Sunstreaker's waiting spike, balanced back on his hands, those blue wings quivering in lust and even a small bit of pain at the stretch. His optics were closed tightly, focused on taking it all in, and Skywarp gasped, his rhythm interrupted for a moment.

Sideswipe whined, struggling to keep his rythm, but unable to past the two iron-like grips on his hips. "Skywarp...!" He cried, resting his forehelm against Starscream's shoulder as he cycled his valve down on the Seeker's spike to entice him to fragging move again! Primus, the pressure was driving him insane!

Skywarp gasped, shaking his head, and moved harder than before, the image of Thundercracker taking it in the valve almost too much for him to process...TC _never_ took it! "That is the fragging hottest thing I've seen..._Primus_. Star. Don't you like it? Can't hear you." Skywarp could damned sure hear himself, though, the rough intakes and sound of his fans, feeling like they were going to burn out with no warning.

"Sky. PLEASE. Harder. Want you to move him /in/ me. Want it so bad...do anything...need to overload..." Starscream couldn't see what was going on not that far from him, he had no idea. His limbs shook, though, his wings rattling against the berth. He looked up at Sideswipe and smiled. He looked so hot in between them, so perfect, so beautiful.

Sideswipe's optics had shuttered and he lost himself in the pleasure, letting it swallow him in its heated embrace. Pleading cries and begging words fell from his lips, his systems reaching sensory overload and he could feel his chestplates straining to open. He almost let them, too, but kept at least that much control on himself. "Oh frag, feel so good! Both of you, want it, want you, want to go over, watch you go over, PLEASE!"

"Come. _I said come_." Skywarp's voice dropped into a growl, and he pistoned forward, chasing his overload with a single-minded madness that sent shudders through him into the crimson mech under him, which traveled into Starscream below _him_. It was a dance, a violent whirl of emotion and pure lust, and soon Skywarp was lost, filling the frontliner with scalding fluid, driving forward so hard he thought he might accidentally go _through_ the mech.

And Starscream was gone, shattered, the scream of pleasure painful to hear. His helm moved violently from side to side, almost as if he were denying the fact that it was over, that he'd overloaded hard against Sideswipe's spike. He continued moving against him, because in his pleasure-addled processor, to _not_ do so would mean his loss, that he'd drift away without an anchor. "...love you..." he gasped, his optics flaring crimson fire, almost matching the writhing frontliner atop him.

The demand, so intense and so _firm_ and Sideswipe was lost. He overloaded between his lovers, crying out their names as he experienced the double overload, transfluid spilling into Starscream and valve milking everything Skywarp had to give him. He hung there and then collapsed forward, breathing heavily to cool his frame, hips still held up and angled by the pair of servos clamped tightly on them. He groaned, feeling disinclined to move. "Love you too..." he murmured. "Both of you."

* * *

><p>Skywarp panted, Sideswipe's words not having registered quite yet. He shook with the effort of not collapsing atop the two, and he rolled over to the side instead, fouling his wing. "OW! Fuck <em>me<em>!" he yelled, irritated with himself but still in the afterglow of what had definitely been one of his better overloads, pulling Sideswipe with him on the berth.

Seekers, it seemed, liked to cuddle afterward.

Starscream was out of it, but not so out of it that he hadn't heard Sides' words, which brought a soft smile to his lips. He _knew_ it was true. That's what made this so good. And to bring Skywarp into it...back into Starscream's spark, as well, would make it better. They had been close, very close once. Starscream had driven Skywarp away, intentionally, so that he wouldn't know the extent of what went on in Starscream's personal life. It had been to save him what would have been a _lot_ of hurt. He had never stopped caring about either of his trinemates. In distance lie safety. That mantra had kept him sane.

It wasn't needed anymore.

"Love you, Sides. Love you...Sky."

Sideswipe smiled, but shivered and groaned, his brother's pleasure transmitting to him clear as day and he protested a bit as his hardware struggled to come online again. He was lucky he was sated or it was possible he'd be up for another round. As it was, he just squirmed between the large bodies sandwiching his and rode out his brother's pleasure.

Starscream and Skywarp were _speechless._ For as long as they'd known their trinemate, the number of times he'd actually taken it could be numbered on both hands, and several of those...did not count, as they weren't precisely TC's idea and he _hadn't_ enjoyed it in the least. Watching Thundercracker writhe helplessly beneath Sunstreaker made Skywarp whine lowly, his breath coming faster, but his equipment refused to cooperate so soon after the processor-melting overload he'd just had.

Starscream just smiled, leaning into Sideswipe. He could _tell_ that TC was having the time of his function, just by the way he moaned beneath Sunstreaker. Starscream didn't blame him one bit...but he had the odd feeling that he wouldn't be having Sunny much anymore, not that TC had him. And that's exactly what it was, in Star's thoughts- those two were _together_.

Sideswipe whined, body wracking with a shudder, Sunstreaker's overload leaving a wash of pleasant tingles over his sensornet. And it was just pitfragging hot to watch his brother make the always composed Thundercracker _writhe_.

Starscream held Sides more tightly, hands gently stroking his chestplates, his arms, anywhere he could reach to help him ride out the backlash, and Skywarp grinned, kissing Sideswipe soundly on the mouth.

"Very nice, you two." Skywarp teased. "Four. Whatever."

Sideswipe just groaned, swatting half haertedly at his black and violet lover. "'S it s'posed to be possible to offline from over'oad'n?" He slurred, squirming weakly in Starscream's hold.

Sunstreaker snorted. "Speak for yourself." He grinned, pulling his spike free with a grunt of residual pleasure. He grinned at his lover, leaning in to lick the thin trickle of energon from his faceplates. "So hot, TC. You squirm so pretty."

"Don't know, Sides. Wanna find out?" Skywarp apparently felt better than he had when he'd shown up, his smile plastered to his face and all vestiges of worry gone from both his frame and his EM field.

Thundercracker actually laughed softly, laughed while he trembled slightly at Sunstreaker's action. His valve felt pleasantly sore, and he rubbed the dents he'd made in Sunny's arms. "So do you."

Starscream was the quiet one, this time. He looked like he was thinking fairly hard. He looked at the twins, and then at his trinemates. Then back at the twins. "Why...you said that you two can't bond. Why not?" A reasonable enough question, and Starscream only knew one other set of split spark twins...and Rumble and Frenzy were not likely to ever bond to anything, even if Soundwave would allow them to.

Sunstreaker had been about to give a snappy, cheeky reply to Thundercracker when Starscream's question broke into the haze of post-coital bliss. He stiffened, mouthplates going flat even as his spark seemed to shrink in its casing.

Sideswipe, for his part, took it in stride, sending comfort to his twin. He stared at Starscream, gauging the seriousness of the question. He sighed, snuggling into the Seeker's side as he replied. "Because we're split-sparks."

Starscream said softly, "I had gathered that much. It is rare for that to happen, true. Stories say you would be essentially the same spark, bound into two forms instead of one. Stories and science do not often coincide, though."

Skywarp just listened; he had almost no idea what they were discussing, and why would they be talking about bonding to begin with? Eesh, what a huge step. He wasn't sure he was ready to even _think_ about slag like that...

Thundercracker slid up, taking Sunny with him and wrapping his arms around him in defiance of just about everything that his trinemates expected him to do. "Don't withdraw into yourself, Sunstreaker. Do _not_. For me."

"Not that easy." Sunstreaker bit out, letting Thundercracker pull him into an embrace regardless. He remained stiff, letting his brother handle the explanations.

"Well, you can rule this story as being based on fact." Sideswipe said, somewhat bitterly. "We would know." He sighed, staring at the wall, optics unfocused as he explained. "Believe me. We used to wonder all the time why we couldn't bond in the past. Simple questions, slag like that. Nobody ever had an answer for us. We were always told we couldn't and we'd just come to accept it." He shrugged. "It always bothered us, you know? We both had dreams of bonding, finding 'The One'. Cheesy, as the humans like to say, but it still stands. We can love. We can even have 'mates', but the only bonded partner we get is each other. Thank Primus for Ratchet or we'd never know ourselves. Fact is we ARE one spark split into two bodies. And generally, you need one FULL spark to bond." His lips twisted at the end. "Half a spark doesn't cut it. We've tried." He laughed bitterly. "Nearly killed Sunstreaker..." His voice was barely a whisper.

Thundercracker's grasp increased almost imperceptibly at that. He was willing to bet that it hadn't been Sunstreaker who'd tried to bond. "Not easy, yes. But not as hard as you think, when you are not alone."

Star had that look on his face, the 'thinking' look. He was running possibilities through his processor and abandoning them just as quickly, a small from cropping up. Why was he thinking so hard on this, why did it matter...

"What if you both did it at the same time to someone?" Skywarp asked, out of the blue. He _had_ been paying attention, and Skywarp was nowhere near as stupid as some tried to make him out to be. "When us three agreed to trine, we all bonded together, sort of. Not like a partner-bond, but it involved sparks, and ended up giving us the link we have."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stared the teleporter. There was thick silence and then they looked at each other, Sideswipe saying in an almost wondering tone, "We... Never thought of that..."

Sunstreaker snorted, ever the pessimist. "S'not like we'd ever fall for the same bot anyways. Our tastes differ a little too much."

Thundercracker tilted his head questioningly. "It could work, Sunstreaker." For the first time, he looked at Sideswipe...but then shook his head. He wouldn't do that to Sunny. Ever. "I will _not_ forsake you for your twin, Sunstreaker. I do hope you know that."

"Just an idea, y'know." Skywarp shrugged, a little embarrassed that his idea had actually been a good one. "Cuz...well...you all seem...very close."

Starscream was eyeing Sideswipe speculatively. He...wanted to be close. As close as he could get. Yet he didn't want to hurt anyone in this room in the process. He decided words were probably insufficient, and merely grabbed Sideswipe's hand in his own, squeezing gently.

Sideswipe looked back at Starscream just as he squeezed his hand and it was an automatic response to squeeze back. He snorted at Skywarp, dragging the teleporter down on top of them, blanketing himself in the warmth. He wasn't entirely sure what the line of questioning had been for, but it had spiked hope in his spark. Although, knowing the Seekers were already bonded sent a sort of bitter pang through him, which he pushed away. There was no use getting jealous.

Sunstreaker looked at his lover with some confusion as well. "I don't think I said you would... And I know that, fragger." He tapped Thundercracker's chest plating to prove his point. "But why the sudden interest?" That was what he was most curious about.

"Because I like to know things in advance." Thundercracker said solemnly, poking Sunstreaker right back with a slight smile. "Just in case."

The two snuggling Seekers covered Sideswipe in their wings, one on either side. "What happened, when you tried? I don't mean to bring up bad slag, but...I guess I just don't get it." Skywarp said, laying his head on Sideswipe's shoulder.

"Skywarp, it doesn't matter, we will risk _no_ _one_ just because _I_ am insecure and..." Starscream didn't finish the statement.

Sunstreaker grunted, also not wanting to explain this.

Sideswipe pulled back a bit to look at Starscream. "And what, Stars?"

"I do not need to burden you wish any more than what I have done already, and at any rate, it seems to be impossible, so it's irrelevant." Starscream's tone was odd; quiet and thoughtful, to be sure, but something else was mixed in there as well. Of course there was something to stop him, but perhaps that was a good thing; Starscream never was one to wait, not one to be patient.

Skywarp had no such compunctions; perhaps it was his lack of deep emotional involvement. "It couldn't have been that bad; you're both still here, and apparently able to sparkplay, or else I wouldn't have seen you all sprawled on the floor like you got hit by lightning. Aaaaaanyway, guys with wings, we had better be getting back...yeah, it's me saying this, cuz you two look like you're gonna sit here forever. And if you do _that_, we're all three gonna be in deep slag." Skywarp looked at his trinemates, then at Sideswipe, before shifting himself to get up and leave.

"Skywarp." Thundercracker's tone was firm. "We are _not_ going back."

"What? What the frag are you thinking?" Skywarp's jaw looked like it was about to hit the floor.

Sunstreaker subconsciously clutched tighter to Thundercracker when Skywarp had said they needed to leave. Truth be told, he was rather surprised he hadn't received any hails from Prowl, although he assumed that had something to do with Ratchet. He would have to thank the medic later. If only for giving them time for their 'privacy'. Either way, he tried not to glare at the teleporter (failing rather miserably) and made to let go of Thundercracker.

Sideswipe's mouth had twisted into a very stubborn frown which indicated to those who knew that he wasn't saying another word on the subject. He gave Skywarp a very serious glare of his own, sitting up despite the rush to his processor and growled, "Like pit I'm letting you go back to that madmech!"

"Which?" Skywarp said rather flippantly. "There's a lot of 'em, us three included. Isn't a 'Con in the faction who has all his bolts tightened." Skywarp was confused, and confused brought out the smartaft in him rather well.

Starscream's dark faceplates had almost visibly paled, and his hand clutched more tightly to Sideswipe's as he sat up. "Skywarp..I...we..." He couldn't speak coherently, his words were _gone_.

Thundercracker remained silent. If he said _anything_, it might alter peoples' true feelings, and he didn't want to influence the outcomes. All he did was hold on. Held on _tight_.

"Megatron." Sideswipe scowled, gripping Starscream's hands just as tightly, trying to be reassuring. "Fragger _uses_ you, Warp! You can't tell me you _like_ it! He's out for himself and frag anybody who says otherwise!"

Sunstreaker revved his engine angrily in agreement. His optics were focused on the pair and despite Thundercracker's grip on him, he was prepared to fight free to jump to his brother's defense.

Thundercracker's hold doesn't increase, even though he can feel the tension in the area. He stays right beside Sunstreaker, though, ready to step in if he absolutely had to. "Calm. He doesn't _realize_ it, Sunstreaker. He is the youngest of us."

Starscream's optics widened and he froze at Sideswipe's words...yes, that was it, in a nutshell, as the humans said. He wanted Skywarp to see this, but he knew it was hard. _Damned_ hard.

"Who the slag are you to say who can do what?" Skywarp said, his wings flaring out unconsciously. "He's our commander. He has the right to have anyone under his command, and it's our place to serve him in any way we can! Already asked you how often you two get ordered to Prime's berth, I'm sure he does the same." Skywarp said confidently, steadily ignoring the wingtwitches and stiff movements from his trinemates.

They'd sheltered him from some of it. Perhaps they shouldn't have. Then Starscream wouldn't have to feel the tension in his lover, wouldn't have to see Thundercracker wince almost imperceptibly at every word Skywarp uttered.

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><p><em>Dun dun dun! Clifffffffhanger. Review please?<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_Huge, massive update. With warnings. There's some bad stuff discussed in the beginning of this chapter, potentially triggery things. So we figured we'd tell you here, first. There's story, and background; but it's not exactly nice stuff. The happyfuntimes happen afterward, so there's always that..._

_Parings for this chapter: Sides/Star/Warp; TC/Sunny (and that's pretty much how it seems like they've settled themselves!)_

_Warnings: Relatively detailed description of **nonconsensual interface** involving multiple perpetrators; strong H/C themes, sticky, Thundercracker being a gigantic tease, sparksex, Skywarp being a huge aft_

_Disclaimer: Not ours. But we *are* charging them rent now. They live in our heads for too much for them not too._

_Thank you times a billion to all of our reviewers. We get SO HAPPY to see all the reviews! _

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><p>They'd sheltered him from some of it. Perhaps they shouldn't have. Then Starscream wouldn't have to feel the tension in his lover, wouldn't have to see Thundercracker wince almost imperceptibly at every word Skywarp uttered.<p>

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker both went stock still, Sunstreaker shaking with the visible effort to not attack, rage turning his optics an eerie shade of violet.

How dare he! How _dare_ he!

Yes, he and his brother were known as some of the most violent under Prime's command. Yes, they never always agreed with or got along with their leader. But this was someone who was trying to pull them from what they had been. Someone who risked himself everyday for his _people_ and not for himself. Someone who _practiced_ what he preached!

Someone who had earned their respect.

And that was damned hard to do.

Sideswipe held no such compunctions, ripping himself from Starscream, fist drawn back and he had belted Skywarp across the face before he had even known he had moved. But he wasn't going to stop. He grabbed the Seeker by the collar fairing, snarling faceplates getting into startled ones.

"YOU DON'T FRAGGING KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" He roared, voice suffused with rage, optics the same eery shade of violet. "OPTIMUS PRIME IS ONE THOUSAND TIMES THE LEADER THAN MEGATRON COULD EVER BE! HE'S OUT THERE EVERYDAY WITH US! FIGHTING _FOR_ US! WHEN HE SCREWS UP HE DOESN'T SHUNT THE BLAME TO SOMEONE ELSE! HE DOESN'T ORDER US TO HIS BERTHROOM! HE DOESN'T USE US JUST BECAUSE HE'S OUR _LEADER_!" He shook the Seeker as if to shake some sense into him. "SO YOU BETTER FRAGGING WELL TAKE THAT BACK! BECAUSE TO PRIME WE'RE HIS PEOPLE, NOT JUST CANNON FODDER TO THROW AT THE 'CONS FOR HIS AMUSEMENT!"

He paused, breathing heavily, denta gritted as he took the next step. "You look at my brother, Warp! You looke at him _right now_ and tell me what you know about him!"

Starscream reached out instinctively. "Sides, don't _hurt_ him!" He reached out, but didn't rise...because despite his worry for his trinemate, Sideswipe was _right_. He had to trust. Trust that his lover wouldn't do something irreparable to Skywarp. He bit his lip and watched.

Thundercracker stayed stock-still. Whatever Skywarp was about to say would likely be...not good. It may well torque Thundercracker himself off. He _knew_ what was within Sunstreaker, and he knew just as well that Skywarp didn't have the foggiest fragging clue.

Skywarp reeled in Sideswipe's grip, all the good feelings of closeness from before alomst gone. His lips curled and he thought of several choice words, word he knew weren't true...but he actually thought for a moment and chose _not_ to say it, primarily because Thundercracker's grip on Sunstreaker told him that TC might well rip his wings off if he _did_ say it. So he told what he really knew instead.

"He's pretty. He's a crazy-aft warrior who jumps of fragging jets in the sky with nothing more than a little rag to keep him from flattening himself. People say he's psychotic. I'm not sure they're wrong, not after some of the slag he's done to me." Skywarp's wingtips twitched, and he looked again. Those angry violet-tinged optics scared him. "I don't know what else. Figure he's decent enough or you two wouldn't keep fragging him-"

Two nanoseconds after it came out of his mouth, Skywarp knew that had been the wrong answer.

Cold rage permeated Sideswipe's systems, rolling like a black cloud over his faceplates, deepening with the deep hurt over Sunstreaker's side of the bond. his voice was quiet, almost a hiss like a serpent when he spoke again, menacing. "Is that right? So my brother is 'decent' enough to frag? That's it? Not a mech with his own choices, own interests and beliefs?"

Skywarps stared at him, optics wide, but he kept his mouth clamped firmly shut. It was obvious Sideswipe wasn't done.

"When we were new to the Gladiator Pits," Sideswipe began, hands clenching tighter. "We were assigned to a group of 'training buddies.' We were young, naive. Like you said, Sunstreaker's pretty. He was then too. Enough to catch unfriendly optics. We were uncannily good at what we did, too. The fighting. Could take on that whole group despite them being our 'superiors' according to Pit customs." His vocalizer choked for a moment, Sunstreaker visibly shrinking into Thundercracker's side. "It was one training cycle when they managed to pin me down. Held me down pretty solidly too. They were going to kill me too. Didn't care. It was _fun_ to them. The only reason I'm alive today is because my brother let them use him. And I got to watch. Go to hear every plead, scream and desperate call for help as they used him one by one. There were ten of them..." Coolant pooled in Sideswipe's optics and he ignored it when it trailed down his face. "I watched them break my brother over and over and over. The mech you see in front of you now, all the arrogance and pride and cold aloofness... I watched them tear it away layer by layer. He wouldn't recharge or imbibe energon for cycles after that. Wouldn't talk to me. Not even through our bond. But that's okay, right? They were our superiors, stronger and better and by all accounts the ones we reported to."

Skywarp's optics were riveted on Sideswipe, unable to look away. "I- I don't-"

"But that's okay, right? That's what's supposed to happen? Because according to you THEY HAD EVERY RIGHT TO BREAK SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE BROKEN!"

Skywarp froze in place. His lips moved, but nothing came out. All he could see was the all-too-clear images Sideswipe had painted for him. Used. Like garbage. Like he was nothing. Like...like Starscream, dragging himself back from the infirmary. Like Thundercracker's deep silences, when he shut himself away from everyone and everything, including the things that he loved normally. Like some of the others onboard, who winced in pains that should have never happened, like the Stunitcons every time that Motormaster got fragged off, because the truckformer idolized Megatron.

Just. Like. Skywarp. Did.

His optics went wide. He brough his hand up to his lips, and words finally broke free. "I didn't know, Sides. I didn't. I'm sorry. I am. Nobody should have to see that. I'm..."

"You are thoughtless because _he_-" and TC pointed to Starscream, who was clutching his knees, wrapped in himself on the floor. "_He_ took what was meant for you more often than not."

Sideswipe released Skywarp, still quivering with his anger as he returned to Starscream's side, wrapping an arm tight around his lover, pulling him to his chestplates.

Sunstreaker, quivering for a far more darker reason, detatched himself from Thundercracker, seeking out his older twin, seeking out the comfort and love his spark radiated all the time just for him.

Sideswipe wrapped him in his embrace without hesitation, yanking his brother in close as Sunstreaker fought to close back up the memories. To get rid of them again.

Thundercracker moved up on his darker trinemate, angry now, more angry than he really should be. "You have _hurt_ _him_. More than you will _ever_ know, Skywarp. And for that I am angry with you. You really do not _get_ _it_, do you?" The slang term came hard from Thundercracker, but his optics blazed dark garnet fire. He pointed down at where their trineleader, the supposedly fearless Starscream, sat huddled in on himself.

"And you hurt him as well. He who loves you. He who has protected you. He who brought you out of the depths that you existed in, when he found you young and alone." Thundercracker folded his arms across his cockpit and glared. "What have you to say for yourself?"

Skywarp didn't know what to say. There was nothing _to_ say that would take back what he'd said, what he'd assumed, what he'd insinuated. He could apologize until the day he greyed out, but he couldn't take it back. His hand reached out to the twins, and his voice was soft.

"I...sorry...didn't know..."

Sideswipe's optics had bled back to their normal blue, but there was a very tired look in them. "Yeah. You didn't. So don't assume things you have no idea about." He said quietly with a deep sigh. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to anyways." He glanced at Starscream, hugging him closer the same time he did his brother. Frag.

Why did all the serious slag happen after mind blowing sex?

"Sunstreaker." Skywarp's voice was small. "Forgive me for being an aft. _Worse_ than an aft. A fragging no-good jerk. An asshole. Stupid idiot." Skywarp would have continued if TC hadn't put his hand on his arm.

"That is quite enough, Skywarp."

Starscream just clung. To both twins. He had never seen _that_, but by Primus, he knew pain.

Sunstreaker stiffened, being put in this awkward position of having attention placed on him. The unwanted kind. " 'S fine." He said quietly, releasing his grip on his brother slightly, although Sideswipe's remained just as tight. "It's not like you told them to..."

"Still should have took my helm out of my aft instead of saying slag without thinking." And Skywarp was thinking. Thinking of the times when he'd seen his leader give him _that_ look, and seeing Starscream smoothly intercept Megatron, away from his younger trinemate. And then later seeing Starscream wincing as he came back into their quarters, as he lay down on the berth without a single word.

"Star. I'm sorry. You did that for me, didn't you."

"I-I did, Skywarp. Because I can take it. I didn't think you could." Starscream's voice was broken and rough.

Thundercracker just moved behind Sunstreaker, wanting contact but not willing to force it. "May I touch you, Sunstreaker. For comfort."

Sunstreaker didn't answer immediately, hands gripped firmly over his brother's armor. But then he gave a short, sharp nod and freed a hand to reach for Thundercracker.

Sideswipe's hold loosened around both Starscream and Sunstreaker. They needed to do this, to get rid of this. Why it had come here, now and with whom, he couldn't begin to guess, but as Prime liked to say, Primus worked in mysterious ways.

Starscream gave Skywarp a long look. And then he did the unexpected. He'd been doing a lot of that recently, ever since he'd decided to corner the crimson mech next to him for a little distracting fun.

His hands grasped the free area of Skywarp's shoulders, and he stood there, waiting until the other seeker met his gaze.

"It's okay, 'Warp. I know you didn't...you didn't do it intentionally."

Skywarp just stared. An _apology_, from Starscream.

Thundercracker immediately reached for his lover, one large hand taking Sunstreaker's, the other rubbing across the back of his shoulders. It was obvious that things were tense, and that there was a very real possibility that they could split the trine over this. Starscream wouldn't give up what he'd found, not easily. And Skywarp wasn't even sure what he was being offered.

In the far recesses of the ceiling, something chirred softly, while tiny crimson optics observed the scene below. Laserbeak watched, transmitting everything she saw without really understanding what was going on.

Sunstreaker shuddered, gritting his teeth and sitting straight. He pulled from both his brother and lover, rubbing his hands over his faceplates. He was not this fragging weak, slaggit. "It's fine. I'm fine."

Sideswipe wanted to protest, but his optics watched his lovers keenly, waiting to see what might happen. He wanted Skywarp to understand. Wanted him to accept this. He wanted _both_ of them.

"I can't just take off, what if he _finds_ me and you aren't there?" Skywarp asked softly, obviously a bit worried. He knew what had happened to Star when he mouthed off...some of it, anyway. Their regular fights had been a source of entertainment on the Nemesis for ages now. "'M not strong enough to get _shot_ at!"

Starscream actually laughed at that. "Nobody is, Warp. And if you stay here with us, until we find out where we are going to go, then you _won't_ get shot."

"But what if we're found? They _deactivate_ deserters!" Skywarp actually looked around as if the room were suddenly being attacked by a group of 'Cons, ready to retrieve the errant command trine.

"Optimus Prime will give us asylum." Thundercracker noted softly. "We may end up in his brig for awhile, until we show that we are not going to kill them all in their recharge, but he'll grant it. Especially...especially if the medic gets one look at Starscream and the lingering damage to his frame." He moved right back next to Sunstreaker, a questioning look on his face. His hand drifted back up Sunny's arm and stayed there.

Sideswipe's optics lit up. "Hey. Hey yeah! Prime won't turn ya away! Not if you can prove you're serious about turning coat and what not!" He leaned forward in his eagerness. "I mean, you may have a pit of a time getting some of the others off your back, back we'll be there with you!"

"Maybe even IN the brig." Sunstreaker snorted, making no move to dislodge Thundercracker's servo. When his brother gave him a blank look he said, "Fraternization with the enemy, bolt head."

Skywarp looked doubtful. "I don't wanna be in jail, and they won't let us fly, will they?"

Starscream stifled the urge to whap Sideswipe. "Such a lovely term, that. Turning coat. Primus, Sides, you think you could...never mind, I'm being a glitch." Starscream rubbed his optics in frustration. This was hard...but yet it wasn't, at once. If they did this, there would be no going back. Ever.

Thundercracker's optics narrowed and he moved, faster than anyone would think possible for such a large mech. A loud cry echoed off the walls, the cry of a creature unlike most Cybertronians, and Thundercracker rose up on his thrusters, catching something in his hand.

Laserbeak's optics flashed, and she chittered loudly in protest at Thundercracker's harsh grip on her wings.

"Have you told him?" When the little birdlike femme pointedly turned her head away, declining to answer, TC's voice boomed loudly and he brough her up to his faceplates. "You **_will_** answer me. You are not a stupid thing, a feral beast as most believe you to be. I know you understand me. _Have you told him_?"

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe both startled and shot to their feet, ready to face down anything. Two seperate expressions crossed their identical faces when they saw the cassette within Thundercracker's grasp. Sideswipe's was of distinct horror. Laserbeak had most likely heard _everything_. He felt his tanks drop and the urge to purge them was strong.

Sunstreaker was furious, face pulled into a wary snarl as he eyed all of the crevices around the room as if they would suddenly start sprouting Decepticons.

Laserbeak hesitated, the look evident on her face. Then she nodded, her free wing twitching. She couldn't speak aloud; none of Soundwave's animal-like cassettes could. Ravage had a comm-voice, but Laserbeak had never bothered to cultivate one. She usually used Soundwave's voice, either from a direct link or through recordings.

_"Command trine. Soundwave responds."_

Starscream's expression was that of naked fear. Soundwave was the most loyal 'Con in the faction. They were screwed. Worse than screwed; there was likely a team on their way even as they stood.

Skywarp looked like he wanted to run away, and in fact he had gathered energy for a 'port away. Thundercracker's free hand grasped his arm in an iron grip, though, and he shook his head, telling Skywarp to stay.

Starscream's voice, low and cold, responded. "What do you want, Soundwave? Are you happy? You've finally caught me in treachery." He sounded utterly defeated and bleak.

The telltale hiss of a recording tinted the next words from Laserbeak's audible comm.

"Treachery-not-evident-when necessary to-save- a life." she stated simply.

Soundwave's own tones came through next.

_"Soundwave: displeased. Soundwave...understands, and does not disapprove. Does not approve, but understands. Report: delayed. Laserbeak: free to leave?"_His tone was less flat at that, actually holding the barest hint of a plea.

Sideswipe was blinking at the little avian cassette, surprise evident through the horror. Soundwave could _talk_ through them? Well... That was... certainly something. He glanced around, unsure of what to do and stepped back behind his brother.

Sunstreaker was still eyeing the room, his gaze most often flicking to the door. His frame was tense, radiating his displeasure all too clearly.

"Laserbeak, _**NOT** _free to leave. Not yet." Thundercracker, being the calmest one in the room, had taken control of the situation. "Why were you following us?"

"Orders-from-Creator-" she tried to explain. And was interrupted by Soundwave.

_"Information required on whereabouts of Decepticon SIC and Command Trine. Megatron: ordered Soundwave to listen and watch and learn."_

"And what have you told him, hmm Soundwave?" Starscream's tone was bitter. "Everything, I suppose. You've been trying to discredit me since the beginning."

_"Information: _keptto myself_."_ Soundwave's tones where almost vehement._ "Starscream: unaware of many things. Starscream: concerned with his trine's well-being. Soundwave: concerned with creations."_

"I thought they were _drones_." Skywarp muttered, slightly amazed.

"Not-drone. Sparkling?" Laserbeak pointed out.

Katee: Both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's optics were now riveted on the small little cassette in Thundercracker's grasp. They could both remember a number of times when they had shot Laserbeak from the sky. Or punted Rumble and Frenzy across the battlefield. Sideswipe looked sick and Sunstreaker uncomfortable.

_/I think... M'gonna purge.../_ Sideswipe told his brother weakly over the bond.

"...sparkling?" The word was said in two voices- Star and Skywarp. "You're a slagging sparkling?" Skywarp asked, feeling rather ashamed now if the things he'd done to the cassettes.

"Not-precisely. Young-creation- of Soundwave-split from-his-spark, he is special-carrier-frame. Blaster-the-same." Laserbeak explained, her broken tones stilted from lack of practice.

"Sparkling." Thundercracker confirmed, lessening his hold on Laserbeak's wing.

_"Command trine: release Laserbeak. Laserbeak!"_ The tone now was that of a creator to his creation. _"Laserbeak: reveals too much. Silence."_

The cassette chirped an apology, settling into Thundercracker's hand.

Finally, Sideswipe couldn't take it anymore. "If you'll excuse me..." He murmured, strutting to and out the door into the hall. Not a half a klik later, the sound of a mech emptying his tanks could be faintly heard.

"That explains a lot." Sunstreaker said, thoughtful for the first time, but frame no less tensed. _~Special carrier type?~_ He mouthed at Thundercracker, rather confused on that point.

Thundercracker shrugged. He had no idea.

Starscream did, though, and he could read lips just as well as his trinemate. "Soundwave's frametype. I knew he created his...creations. I just thought they were fragments of himself, split from his own spark. Not...not sparklings." His wings fluttered in confusion. How could Soundwave allow his little ones to fight in this war?

Skywarp looked at Sideswipe, very concerned. He followed the mech, unsubspacing a small bit of coolant. "Here." He held it out. "Rinse. That's never fun, to purge." Skywarp already felt bad; now he felt worse.

Thundercracker just stroked Laserbeak's wings as he would any other winglet and considered. "Laserbeak, you will not tell anyone but your creator?" Laserbeak shook her head, almost purring with the touch. She was visibly relaxing, and almost smiling.

_"Prime: will listen. Prime: believes that the factions should unite. Seekers: have united with Autobots?"_

Skywarp heard this and just _laughed_.

Sideswipe took the proffered coolant gratefully, quick to clean out his mouth. Even with empty tanks he still felt vaguely ill, and he stayed crouched, just in case his reserves decided they wanted out as well. He shot a halfhearted glare at Skywarp. "In case you forgot, Sunny and I are Autobots too."

Sunstreaker watched Thundercracker soothe the cassette with interest. He would make a good sire... And he did not just think that. That was ridiculous. But he could see it as truth. "How do we know you won't just go blabbing?"

"Yeah, but 'unite' wasn't the term I was gonna use, Sides." Skywarp actually grinned, then- he looked a little more like himself.

Starscream was interested in hearing Soundwave's response to that question, so he waited. waited and listened. He didn't trust Soundwave; he'd thought the mech was blindly loyal, like...Skywarp was. He resolved to listen more closely. Maybe he'd been wrong.

_"Soundwave: has much to lose. Soundwave: protects creations."_ The tone was almost snappish.

TC just continued calming Laserbeak, and he looked at her in question, but obviously addressed Soundwave.

"What do you protect them from?"

Lasterbeak herself shrugged, and Soundwave did not answer.

"What, Soundwave, do you protect them from?" TC's tone demanded answers, and demanded them now.

_"Soundwave protects...from Lord Megatron."_ Laserbeak shuddered at the thought, her creator's words not completely understood, but she had her own fear.

Sideswipe snorted, finally standing unsteadily and making a face when his equilibrium protested a bit. "What would you have used then, Skywarp? I mean, just cause you _unite_ with us doesn't _make_ you an Autobot. Just an ally."

"Dunno. Primus, Sides, it was sort of a joke, okay? I'm..really sorry. I don't mean to be a thoughtless aft, and I don't know everything, not like Star." His tone was wistful, there. "I don't even know if I want to be an Autobot. I don't even know that that means, to be honest." He offered Sideswipe his arm for support.

"Protects from Megatron. I wonder." Starscream mused.

_"Starscream: will not speculate further in front of Laserbeak. Soundwave: aware of Starscream's treatment. Soundwave: in similar predicament. Creations: threatened. Creations: safe if compliant. Creations: have not been harmed."_

Katee: Sunstreaker's optics flared. "He's a sick bastard." He hissed, servos curling into claws. "He's a dead mech."

Sideswipe took the support gratefully. "Wish I could tell you Warp. It means something different to every mech. And you don't have to everything, I mean, look at me. You think I know everything?" He chuckled weakly and then tensed, anger replacing what was weak amusement to begin with. The conversation broke through to him through the bond and he was completely tempted to march straight to the Nemesis and rip Megatron's spark from his chest _right_ _now_. In fact, he had already marched several steps forward before he'd realized what he was doing.

Laserbeak fluttered her wings, upset. Thundercracker raised an optic ridge at Sunstreaker, shaking his head just slightly and mouthing,_ ~Not here, not yet. Wait.~_

Starscream trembled at the admission, and he bit his lip so hard that a thin trickle of energon slid down his dark chin. "U-understood. TC, release her back to her creator. I think...I think we will be safe."

Laserbeak chirped again, and Soundwave's tones came through once more. _"Command trine: may Primus walk alongside you on your path."_

Thundercracker released the cassette and she flew out of the room, likely straight toward the Nemesis at top speed.

Skywarp's wingtips shivered. "Did he mean that Lo-uh, old bucket head, was...messing with Soundwave?"

Starscream just nodded, this a further kick to his self-worth, in a twisted way. Starscream, one of many. Not special, like he'd been told while he did everything that fragger wanted. Just one more of many.

"I'm going to kill him." Sunstreaker reiterated darkly. "Fragger's a dead mech walking." He felt Sideswipe's complete agreement and marched for the door to join his brother. Frag what the Autobots thought about planning ahead. They would storm the Nemesis themselves if they fragging had too!

"Stop!" Thundercracker said. "Please." he added, seeing the look on Sunstreaker's face. "Come here. I want you to come here." He stood and waited, hoping that Sunny's temper hadn't gone too far off.

Starscream's lips pursed into a thin line. "You two, Sky, Sides. I want to talk to you."

Skywarp looked at his trinemates and shrugged, taking Sideswipe's hand and dragging him toward them. He didn't want to see any of them get slagged, and slagged would be the least of it if they both got caught storming the Nemesis in a half-afted idea of assassinating Megatron.

Sunstreaker stopped in the doorway, hands clenched into tight fists and denta gritted. He was torn between doing what Thundercracker said and going through with the urge to storm onto the Decepticon ship and tear at Megatron's faceplates. Slowly, with stunted movements, he turned back around and made his way back to Thundercracker, staying just out of arms reach. He wasn't giving the bigger mech a chance to hold him back if he really wanted to do just what his spark wanted him to.

Sideswipe, on the other hand, tugged hard at his hand, fighting Skywarp every step of the way. "Let go, Warp! Bastard's mine!"

"Do you want to die, Sideswipe?" Starscream came close, very close indeed. "Do you really want to die that badly? there are less painful ways of doing it than challenging Megatron on his own turf. You could, perhaps, dip yourself into a vat of acid. You would likely come out looking better and maybe even live longer. You do not _understand_ what you are wanting to do. So you could get onto the ship. That's fine. The mechs there would wish to capture you, present you as a spy. Then the real fun begins." Starscream's fingers trembled. "Vortex is our information specialist. Translate that to mean "master of torture". As soon as they discovered that you and your twin have a link, they would capitalize on that. I have nowish to be cruel, you _know _that I don't, but it would make what you two have already been through seem like a sparking-day party." He grabbed Sideswipe as well, both him and Skywarp holding on to the mech, one had each of Sides' hands. "Please don't leave me."

"Leave us." Skywarp corrected, his optics faded.

Thundercracker held his hands behind his back, giving Sunstreaker the choice. He would not use an emotional argument, not as Starscream had. He just looked at Sunny, all his emotion, his caring, is /truth/ shining through those garnet optics.

[

Sideswipe gritted his denta, glaring at the floor. He hated this. Feeling helpless to do anything. His hands clutched at either of his lovers' and remained tense. "He will die." Sideswipe vowed quietly, his voice filled with dark intent.

Sunstreaker jerked a nod in agreement, slowly moving closer. He wanted to rip the fragger apart, but he wasn't doing it without his brother. And if Thundercracker really was worried about all of _that_ happening he would stick around. If only for a little longer.

Starscream nodded. "When we are _ready_, yes, he will die. I want to be there. I want to see it." In that lay the _old_ Air Commander, the cold one, who rainded death down upon those who opposed him.

Skywarp looked at his feet. He wasn't _sure_. He just didn't want to be _alone_, not anymore, and if his trine left, and Sides left, then he'd have nothing but the afts on the Nemesis. Not enough. Besides...the twins were...kind of nice. Hot as frag especially in interface, but...a little different from that, even.

TC watched Sunstreaker and he held out one hand. Just one. Not to stop. He has asked, not commanded. Had requested. Now he requested a little more. Closeness again. Comfort.

It was an effort, to let the tension bleed from his frame, but he managed. He still glared at the floor, but he was no longer clutching at them or on the verge of storming the nemesis. From the corner of his optic, he saw Sunstreaker take Thundercracker's hand, his brother's sudden wonder at _having_ the comfort so open and ready for him helping to soothe him further.

TC smiled, holding on tightly, and pulling Sunstreaker gently onto the berth just to sit next to him, offering his frame for rest or whatever Sunny needed from him.

Skywarp was amazed at this from TC. He had never seen him like this, never seen him smile so much. Obviously, there was something special about the golden twin...he looked at Sideswipe and grinned. Sideswipe had his own charms; just because Sunny wasn't necessarily to his tastes meant TC was wrong...Thundercracker had never had a regular lover, to Skywarp's knowledge.

Starscream was the least inhibited of them all, and as such wrapped his arms around Skywarp and Sides, holding them both as best he could. "Middle of the floor is not ideal for cuddles." he murmured.

Sideswipe snorted a laugh. "Really? You should _see_ some of the places Sunny and I-"

"Shut up, Sideswipe." Sunstreaker growled embarrassed.

Sideswipe glanced at his brother, grin firmly in place. And then his smile dropped and he cursed. "Frag it all! I have Prowl pinging me!"

The three Seekers hurriedly shut up, motioning for Sideswipe to answer. The didn't know if Sides was going to tell Prowl anything, and they were worried that they'd be rejected, or worse, treated like the war criminals they technically were.

Sunstreaker tensed, watching his brother intently as Sideswipe took a deep intake of air before answering his comm with a big smile. It was odd after the anger from just moments before. "Heya Prowlie! What's shakin'?"

:... Sideswipe.: Prowl's cultured voice floated into the room. : You and Sunstreaker have failed to check in. I was informed by Ratchet that it was a medical reason, but I have given you twenty four local hours to take care of it. You should have reported back to the Ark five joors ago.: there was pause and then distinct annoyance. :And it is Prowl or Sir.:

"Whatever you say, Prowlie sir!" Sideswipe replied cheekily, making motions with his hand that literally said 'blah blah blah'.

Sunstreaker snickered.

There was a long suffering sigh. ::Since I am not going to get any serious answer from you, you and your brother will report back immediately. Also, for failure to stay within expected parameters, I do believe the third corridor washracks are in need of more cleaning.::

Sideswipe made a face. "Do I have to?"

:Yes. You and Sunstreaker will be expected to report for punishment detail upon your return and after Ratchet checks you over. Do I make myself clear?:

"Yes, sir." Sideswipe said sullenly.

:Very well. Prowl out:

The comm was cut off and sideswipe continued to pout before he suddenly brightened. "You know, I think punishment detail is going to be the last thing on Prowler's mind when we get back!"

: Skywarp snickered at that. "I'll help you...if they let me. I've scrubbed enough 'racks that I'm a master of the brush." Skywarp posed as if on the cover of one of those squishie magazines.

Thundercracker flickered his optics in amusement. "Are we really going to show up at the Ark and ask for asylum?"

Starscream eyed Skywarp, and then TC. "Only if we're all doing it. Together or not at all."

Skywarp nodded from Sideswipe's other side. "I'll...go. With you. And him." He elbowed Sideswipe gently.

"I will not leave you." Thunderscracker said simply, his optics never leaving Sunstreaker.

Sunstreaker grunted and nodded his helm once to show he understood. there were too many optics watching for him to get all... romancy. Not that he was to begin with, but...

"You know... I've been thinking though. Is it really wise to just walk up to the Ark?" He said instead. "I mean, sure Prime would welcome you and a few of the others, but would _now_ be a good time?"

Sideswipe caught onto the thread of his brother's thoughts. "Actually, Sunbeam here has a good point." He ignored the scowl.

"Maybe we should wait." Skywarp said. "Maybe we should really stay here for a little while."

Starscream nodded, considering something. "We could do that, while you go back and gauge the reaction, what they would do if we showed up..."

Thundercracker sighed. "I am wiling to do so if you believe it best, because you know the situation far better than we do."

Sideswipe stared for a moment, exchanging an amused glance with his brother. "And somehow I was expecting more of an argument."

Sunstreaker snorted. "I ain't up to leaving yet." He said petulantly. "Prowl can shove that pole farther up his aft."

Skywarp laughed aloud at that. "Then what are we gonna do until you decide you want to go back and scrub the 'racks? Are they gonna do something to you, if you just don't come?"

"Probably not, 'Warp, they don't beat you as a punishment, as far as I know." Starscream said, letting go of Sides' hand to lounge on the far side of the berth, his wings flat and stretched out wide.

Thundercracker took that as his cue to hold on a little; he'd never guessed he was so tactile, but it felt _right_ to hold Sunstreaker. So right. So he did, and would, whenever he could.

"More punishment detail." Sideswipe said shrugging. "Maybe some brig time. We even have our own plaques above our cells." He went to scratch at his thigh and then blinked, looking down. "Huh. Don't suppose you have washracks here?" There was still a mess of tried fluids on his legs and the black and blues and white and purple paint transfer on him was more than a little telling.

Sunstreaker snickered at his brother, leaning more into Thundercracker as he relaxed in increments.

"There's a tiny, tiny one, back in the corner." Starscream pointed, not really wanting to move. "The water is likely not as hot as you are used to; you get yours from a volcano, this is solar heated."

"Aw, Sides. You don't need to wash just yet!" Skywarp quipped, his ruby optics twinkling.

TC just shook his head; apparently Skywarp had ideas. Thundercracker _also_ knew that this would have an effect on Sunstreaker, if those ideas were what he suspected they were...and he shuddered, very lightly. He was convinced that the most beautiful sight on this planet was Sunstreaker, writhing in pleasure.

Sideswipe frowned. "I do." He insisted. "We can't stay for too much longer. And Primus knows trying to explain this to anyone is gonna be a whole clusterfuck we don't need to deal with at the moment..." He scratched at the dried fluid again and sighed.

Sunstreaker eyed his brother critcally. "Purple looks oddly good on you Sideswipe." Not that he was complaining about his own scratched paint. Thundercracker's shade looked rather nice on him as well. And vice versa.

"Not until afterward...unless you don't want me? I need to show you how sorry I am, Sides, that I care." And with that, Skywarp dropped, pulling at Sideswipe's hand, the look on his pale face just this side of illegal.

Starscream watched, wanting to see what his trinemate was up to. Primus alone knew how inventive Skywarp could be. This had...potential.

"Blue looks better on you." The whisper was soft, almost not there, and Thundercracker's expression was almost as if he had said nothing at all.

Sideswipe stared down at Skywarp, a shiver tripping down his back. Frag, when had he become this horny? "I want you..." He said seriously, but there was a glint in his optic that spoke of playfulness too.

Sunstreaker shot a glance at his lover, faceplates heating. "It's a good thing then."

"Take what you want then, or I'll have you. Never matters to me, pretty mech." Skywarp said, putting his finger between his lips and sucking hard. "I just like it. However you want."

Starscream knew this very well, Skywarp's very honest lust. He'd had his share of fun with the Seeker, and wondered what it was like to see both of then together, having each other, pleasuring each other.

TC returned the glance, his filled with fire. "Do you wish to watch them?"

Sunstreaker shot a 'what do you think?' look at the Seeker, before his gaze shifted to his brother and his lover. It was certainly always a show and from what he had seen, it was a _good_ show.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe growled, optics narrowing in lust and he pushed back on Skywarp, straddling his pelvic frame. His valve still ached a bit from the nice pounding he had gotten earlier, but it throbbed in anticipation once more. "You'll have me? What if I want to give you all of me?"<p>

"I'll take it." Skywarp said seriously, his hands reaching to skim across rapidly-heating plating. "Take _you_. Cause then you'd know." He moved his hips up in clear invitation. "Want me to spike you? Think I know how you want it by now. Or what else? Hm?"

Starscream just held his breath. Sides wanted to merge with Skywarp, as well? Hmmm. Not a bad idea, to him...it could lead to...later. He still cared very much for the younger Seeker, had never stopped. This scene was already hot, and nothing had even happened...

"I do love your spike." Sideswipe purred, the grin of a prankster curving his faceplates. "So big and warm." He ground down on the seeker's hips. "But I also want... no... _need_ more. Sparks..." He hesitated slightly, unsure how Skywarp might take this request.

Skywarp moaned, unrestrained in his lust. "Mmm, you _need_ it? Only person I've given that to is _him_." He pointed at Starscream. "And that was too long ago. I think...I would like that. Can you make it good for me, Sides, or you want to do both?" Skywarp smirked widely, and actually winked at Starscream, whose movements on the berth were a lot more than simple shifts in position.

Sideswipe's engine revved. "Oh, ba-bee." He drawled, finger tips brushing lightly out over Skywarp's wings as he leaned down close, lips almost touching an brushing with each word. "I can make you feel so good you won't know if you were hit by a train or a proton blast."

"Prove it." Skywarp smirked, bringing his lips to Sideswipe's, his glossa tracing the edges of Sides' lips almost immediately. He grasped Sides' hands and placed them on the edges of his wings, his hips rocking gently into Sideswipe's interface panel. "Here's where it feels best." he mumbled, starting to feel the charge crawl over him.

Starscream's comments weren't helping. "Warp, he likes it when you tease those things on his helm. A lot. And when you're rough with him." _*Just like me.*_ he thought idly, his hand drifting south to brush his own panel.

That brush of glossa ignited a fire in him that started in his chest and spread out and he gripped at the wing edges, stroking firmly along them. His lips pressed firmly against Skywarp's glossa coming out to play as he coaxed the dark Seeker's own into a fiery dance. He undulated his hips, grinding back against the rocking pelvic frame under him and gasped with the wonderful friction.

Sunstreaker's optics shuttered and he leaned his helm forward, almost without his own volition. "Yes." He breathed, letting Sideswipe's fire spread to him and start to warm his plating. He moved his hands to entwine them with Thundercracker's if only to keep them from being sneaky.

"More." Skywarp asked/demanded, his body molding almost perfectly to Sideswipe's in their passionate dance. "Open for me, however you want me to take you. Even like this. I like it like this. I get to see you over me." He trailed kisses down the side of Sides' face, ending at his shoulder, which he nipped, traveling right back up.

Stascream had abandoned all pretense of shifting around and was tracing the outside of his valve cover with two fingers, teasing himself on purpose.

The red sportscar gasped, tilting his helm up to give Skywarp more room. His hands stroked firmer out now, valve feeling painfully empty as it began to lubricate steadily. "Want me to ride, you Warpy?" He rasped in the flier's audio. "Rode Stars last night. He seemed to like it. Liked it a lot if the noises he made were anything to go by."

Starscream stiffened at that, the memory. Yes, he _had_ liked it. Sides knew what he was doing, and the fact that feeling was involved make it a thousand times better. He touched himself again, still not allowing his panel to open, but the brushes alone where driving him crazy.

"Yes, Sides. I do. Ride me hard, til you lose your mind. Wanna be _in_ you. Then right before you come, and come _hard_, I'll give you all of me." Skywarp's panel slid aside, proving how heated all this take had made him- his spike was more than ready, and twitched in time to his suddenly racing spark.

Sideswipe shivered and pressed his aft into the hot spike just behind him. He groaned, his own panel snapping open, lubricant dripping on the black pelvic frame beneath him. "Want you. Need you. So bad." He breathed, capturing Skywarp's lips again as he raised himself on his knees and lined his valve up. With a sharp intake of air, he lowered himself slowly, luxuriating in the delicious stretch of his valve around that _wonderful_ thick spike.

"More, Sides. I won't break, dammit. Harder." Skywarp gasped, thrusting up as Sideswipe moved down. He whimpered, seeing in his imagination Sides doing the same, atop Starscream as his trineleader cried out and writhed. This image made him reach up, hands on Sides' hips to move him if he had to. "Don't tease me." he growled.

"Let me -ah!- adjust!" Sideswipe hadn't quite been prepared for the stretch, as good as it felt, he was barely in control of himself. As his valve relaxed, he moved back up slowly until the tip of the black spike was inside him. And then he slammed himself back down in a rolling wave motion that made him groan, and he moved to do it again.

"Unh!" Skywarp threw his head back just as Starscream moaned from his place on the berth, three fingers buried in his port, his optics shifting back and forth between the couples. Skywarp hissed hot air from between his denta, mindful of what Sides had said about being prepared. Not every mech was like Star, liked being pounded from the start. He rolled his own hips slowly, testing the tightness and Sideswipe's need, and he judged it to be...not enough. His hands drifted to Sideswipe's spike cover, and his thumbs brushed against its housing, teasing it out.

A strangled sound left Sideswipe's throat as the next wave-roll motion ended in a harsh grind due to surprise and the last of his restraint broke. His spike slid free of it's housing, jabbing proudly at the air. "Primus!"

Skywarp smiled widely, stroking Sideswipe in time to their almost lazy thrusts. His thumb teased the leaking head, using that slickness to smooth his hand's slide un and down, squeezing lightly in erratic pulses. "Harder. Ride me _harder_. Sides, _frag_, you feel so good..." And Starscream just watched all of them, furiously fingering himself but it wasn't enough, not enough even with the fourth finger slamming in and out as hard as he could.

It wasn't even a question of presence of processor anymore, his body responding to the order, raising him up on his knees and slamming back down, just for his spike to slide through Skywarp's lubricated digits. "Oh frag, Skywarp!"

"Yes. Like that." Skywarp jerked up into that heat, his hand sliding around Sides' spike as if it were a valve itself, though nobody except maybe Starscream had the control in their port like Warp did with his hands. And then he ran his fingertips up and down it, around the ridges and nubs, barely touching him as he squirmed under Sideswipe, wanting more and harder and faster and slaggit, more!

Sideswipe was beside himself as he picked up his pace, hips twisting and port clenching with each roll down and grind. His hands gripped hard at Skywarp's wings to balance himself as he tilted forward to change the angle.

"Oh yes!" Skywarp cried, those hands on his sensitive wings edges enough to drive him wild. "Don't stop, 'm gonna...ungh Sides, you are so fragging hot. Primus. _Primus_. Those pale lips were wide open, his hand moving furiously over Sides' spike now, and he knew it was almost time, they were going to actually do it and he happened to catch a glance at TC and Sunstreaker, and what he saw make him keen and thrust upward _hard_, heedless of the clench on his wings.

Sideswipe cried out, almost bouncing from his position on Skywarp with the hard thrust that sent his sensor web into a frenzy of sensation. He stared down at the beautiful flushed faceplates and issued the command to unlatch his chestplates, the gears creaking as they pulled apart, bathing Skywarp with a soft blue glow.

"It's so pretty!" Skywarp said, his kiss-swollen lips parted in desire. His own cockpit opened, and the protective plating slid into itself, revealing Skywarp's essence, a pale gold shot through with flecks of even paler golden yellow. It looked like the Sun. Skywarp's hand reached up to cup Sideswipe's chin, his silvery face soft in a smile. "I think I could fall for you. Now join with me, for now." His other hand resumed the harsh strokes, and Skywarp thrust inward _hard_ just as he pulled their chests together, to show the truth of each other.

And Starscream overloaded himself for the first time upon contact, his high-pitched keen reverberating through the small area. His thighs were sticky and wet, and he continued to touch himself, teasing oversensitized sensors as he watched both couples almost feverishly.

Sideswipe lost himself to the world, nothing but the spike in his valve and the spark entwining with his registering. _/Oh! OH!/ _His breathless 'voice' resounded through the link and memories were exchanged again and he squirmed, clutching, holding and kissing Skywarp desperately.

Skywarp was flying, but it wasn't under his own power. He was chasing Seekers in the sky. The warmth was incredible, both physical and spiritual, and he pressed himself farther in, now knowing what he'd been missing for awhile. He saw himself in Sideswipe, for they were very alike. And his hands entwined themselves with his new lover's, and together they flew in each others' forms, soft whimpers and cries unheard because Skywarp said them through their temporary link, instead of aloud. _**Yes, I could fall for you. But would you catch me? Don't wanna crash, Sides.**_

_**Your aft is too big.**_ Sideswipe teased gently. He sent an image of Jet Judo, how he would steer the Seekers where he wanted them to go. _**But if you'll let me, I can steer you to safer landing grounds. And if we crash, we crash together.**_ He promised vehemently. The kiss had never once ended and he didn't plan on letting it, his hips moving in soft circles now, the angle of the spike exquisite as it barely pulled out with each small undulation of his hips.

Skywarp sent a pulse of mock-outrage through the link along with a mocked-up image of Sideswipe's own aft, enlarged for comical purposes. _**Who has a big aft _now_, Sides?**_ He was obviously not upset, though, and his lips molded themselves more fully to Sideswipe's, almost as if they were one being, his spike rocking back and forth, impacting Sides' ceiling node with every movement. Their moans were loud and long, muffled by their joining and the fact that they had been kissing for (Starscream figured) at least half a breem without stopping. Star watched his two lovers start to learn to love each other, and it warmed him...and not just in his interface array, either.

Skywarp finally nodded within himself._ **I'll...I'll trust you. Just don't let me crash. Or if I do, I don't wanna be alone.**_

_**And here I was trying to be romantic.**_ Sideswipe sent the approximation of a cheeky grin through the bond. And then, more seriously. _**Promise. Don't go back on my promises.**_

Skywarp and Starscream both whined in tandem, TC's soft, stimulating words to Sunny getting through even the sparkmerge to slam into Skywarp's processor like a freight train. He could only imagine what it was doing to Sideswipe, who was bound to his twin. He resolved to make it good, then- he sent a series of sharp pulses through the link, each with a different image of Sides, Starscream, and/or Skywarp enjoying each other in every way possible, in every combination. Sunstreaker screamed in the background, a sound of abandon and ecstacy.

Sideswipe pulled away with a shriek of his own just as his brother's ended, making it sound as if Sunstreaker's _hadn't_ ended. The intense pleasure from his brother, the devious ideas from Skywarp, his spark spinning and the large spike taking him was all too much at once. "SKYWAAAARP!" HE howled, helm thrown back and valve spasming as he overloaded _hard_, optics fritzing and systems knocking offline.

Skywarp gasped, his helm jerking back _hard_, the twin shrieks echoing in his processor and in his spark. Sideswipe's overload triggered his own, and he buried himself deep inside Sides, the eruption nearly painful it was so hard. The heat backlash hit him like a ton of bricks to the face, and he barely remained online himself, his processor swimming with images and the sound of slamming metal on metal. Starscream wasn't much better off; he was feverishly stroking his spike, his other hand almost buried in his port, drenched in his own lubricant. He chanted Skywarp's designation over and over, while moaning that he loved them both, would never leave, and fraggit, they _both_ owed him one when they were functional enough to do it...

Skywarp stared. Starscream was far gone in his own pleasure, he didn't see. But Skywarp saw it all. The looks they gave each other, the sheer power of Sunstreaker's surrender. He saw it all, and it hit him hard.

Mech has got it _bad_, he thought. And TC is just as bad off.

Skywarp lay stretched out underneath the offline form of Sideswipe, petting his backstruts gently and waiting for the mech to online his optics. Starscream had joined him, finally finishing self-servicing himself into oblivion, and was petting both of them in typical Seeker fashion- much stroking of wings, with arms and shoulders standing surrogate for wings on Sideswipe's frame.

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><p>Strong arms held Sunstreaker in Thundercracker's lap, front to back, so that they both could enjoy the show. TC licked his lips, tasting Sunstreaker from before; his kiss, so hot and giving. His own plating started to heat up just remembering the things they had done together, and he growled lowly, waiting. His self control was strong now, but later...<p>

Sunstreaker shivered, tilting his helm to look at his lover for a moment. "You're up to something." He stated rather confidently.

"Not yet." TC rumbled, dipping his head to place a wet, openmouthed kiss on the back of Sunstreaker's neck. "But I will be."

Sunstreaker shivered, hands tightening where they ahd rested on Thundercracker's forearms. "Sounds like a promise..."

"You should know by now that when I promise, I fulfill. Don't I, Sunstreaker?" A sharp nip followed those words, and his hands remained still, TC used only his lips to try and tease Sunny to insanity. That, and the twin bond should do it...

"And you like that. You like what I give you. What I allow you, whether it be myself, or what I do when you're like this." Another nip, this one harder, right across an area already marked from Thundercracker's previous explorations.

"Didn't say I didn't." Sunstreaker groaned, thighs twitching as he fought not to squirm. Oooh, the ideas coming from his brother's mind were delicious. And the sharp little nips on his sensitive neck sent tingles down his spinal strut.

"Didn't say you _did_, either, Sunstreaker...and that is important. I may stop, if I do not /know/ that you enjoy it." Those lips wrapped themselves around the points on his helm fin and sucked hard. Thundercracker was so hot he was almost steaming, wet drops of condensation dripping from his wingtips.

Sunstreaker gasped when he felt his brother lower himself. Could almost feel the spike himself, and coupled with the warm wet mouth over a sensitive place on his frame, he was heating rather fast. He couldn't fight the squirm this time, his aft shifting back to press into Thundercracker's lap.

Thundercracker moaned into Sunny's audial, shifting himself to meet the slow press, his hands trembling with the effort not to touch, not to claim. "Want you already, Sunstreaker." he hissed, unable to keep himself from moving slowly against his lover.

His helm fell back with a sharp clang, his hands releasing Thundercracker's to move to his pelvic frame himself. Fraggit, the there, but not there feeling of a spike in his valve was driving him insane and he needed something _solid_ there! Even if it was just his fingers!

"Do you want me, Sunstreaker? You have to tell me. Have to say it." TC's voice was in that low register, that tone that was like liquid sin and sex in one trembling package. He continued the slow grind, thrusting teasingly up as if he were inside Sunny, giving it to him slow.

His panel snapped back with a snick, unable to contain himself any longer. Sunstreaker groaned, digits softly touching the edges of his leaking valve cover. "Want you..." He nearly whined, except Sunstreaker did _not_ whine. No matter what Ratchet said when he needed new paint.

"_I_ will touch you." Thundercracker said, moving Sunstreaker's fingers and replacing them with his own. Just the tip traveled around and over the rim, never dipping within, slicking up TC's fingertip quite nicely. He withdraws it, turning Sunny's face so that he can see Thundercracker lick his lubricant from his finger before it dove back down, continuing those too soft touches. He wanted his lover crazy for it, wanted him to beg to be filled. His own spike was aching painfully behind his panel, but he did nothing; he knew that if he released it, he wouldn't be able to stop himself.

Sunstreaker gasped, denta gritting against the litany of profanities on the tip of his glossa. He needed something _in_ him slaggit! "Primus fraggit, TC, put them in!"

"Mmm, forgot something, Sunstreaker." Thundercracker just barely dipped inside, massaging a sensory cluster he had found the first time he'd done this, and withdrew, his other hand shaking with the desire to throw his mech down and take him in front of all of them.

Frag this was hard for him to do, but he _needed_ it! "Please!" He bit out, swallowing his pride for the moment. "Please, I need it!"

"There it is. So nice, Sunstreaker." He finally, finally let his spike free, its hardness almost painful. It rubbed against Sunstreaker's aft as he slid two fingers inside his lover, twisting them to get to as many sweet spots as he could find. His own moan echoed in the small room, and so did Starscream's whimper- the sight of Thundercracker holding Sunny against him, his legs wide, with two fingers buried in his port was enough to send shivers down Star's backstrut and a new heat between his thighs. He bit his own lips and _watched_.

Sunstreaker moaned, his hips moving in a circle to take those digits further into him. Seekers, he had discovered already, had nice _long_ slender digits. And the way Thundercracker was twisting them and the feel of the hard spike pressing into his aft... He moaned again.

Thundercracker shuddered, Sunstreaker's sounds driving him half insane at this point. He whimpered softly, for Sunny's benefit, and slid in a third finger, spreading Sunstreaker open. His hot whisper seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Do you want to ride me this time, or be pinned beneath me? Tell me, Sunstreaker, or I will tease you until you break. I want you so badly right now, but I want to hear you say it. I want to _know_ that you desire me as much as I desire you." Those fingers pumped so slowly and deliberately, with random deep slamming thrusts to throw Sunny's rhythm into controlled chaos.

"Pinned!" Sunstreaker gasped. "Love the way you feel holding me down! Love your weight! Love you!" He struggled to gain some sort of pace with the fingers in his valve. They kept throwing him off every time he tried to clench down and he moaned when Starscream's voice rang in overload, sending his circuits blazing.

Thundercracker growled in pure lust. Oh, dear _Primus_. Sunstreaker had unwittingly chosen what _he_ had wanted, because he loved pinning the golden warrior under him, loved the sounds he made, loved the feel of that incredibly tight valve rippling around him. He moved fast. Before Sunstreaker could react, Thundercracker was over him, filling his vision with nothing but large blue Seeker, trembling wings, his wrists caught high above his head by stronger hands, his hips held firmly to the berth by Thundercracker's own hips. The tip of TC's spike breached Sunstreaker's dripping port, and he hissed with the effort of letting Sunny adjust instead of slamming into the mech as hard as he possibly could. And it was fraggng divine.

Sunstreaker's helm fell back with a silent cry, his lips moving with pleas that wouldn't leave his throat. He tried to use his legs to buck up, to take more of his lover in. This... this _barely_ _there_ was killing him! He whined when he couldn't get any purchase, valve clamping to suck the thick spike into its depths. He struggled, loving how he was completely pinned. "Thundercracker! TeeCeeeeee pleeease!"

"Please what?" Thundercracker was relentless, this time. His lips and denta claimed Sunstreaker with every movement- nips along his neck, right where Thundercracker knew sent shivers across Sunny's sensor net; licks and bites across those thin lips; and those words in his audios, devastating and claiming. He moved forward just a little bit, twisting his hips to scrape the head of his spike everywhere he could, just past the entrance to Sunny's valve. He could tell that the frontliner was about to lose it, was drowning in this torment...and he waited for it, waited for Sunstreaker to shatter so that he could pick the pieces up, so he could reform his lover- his love- with his touch. His grip was impenetrable, his weight firmly settled upon Sunny without crushing him- but it was enough. Sunstreaker needed to know who he belonged to. And...who belonged to him as well.

Sunstreaker twisted desperately against the small amount of friction given. This was _torture_! It felt good, but it wasn't enough! He hooked a leg around Thundercracker's hips, managing with the new angle to sink the thick spike just a little further and he whined when it wouldn't go further than that. He glared at his lover, lips pulled into a desperate snarl. "Frag me! Frag me Thundercracker! Pound me until that's all I can think of! Make me forget my own fragging designation! I don't care! Just _FRAG_ _ME_!"

"You didn't say please." Thundercracker said silkily, his optics wide and dark. "I will overlook it...this time." With that, he transferred Sunstreaker's hands into one of his own, the grip no less punishing, and used his other hand to scrape down Sunstreaker's chestplate, his gaze appraising. He waited for just a moment, just long enough to shiver above Sunny, and said one word.

"**Mine**."

With that, he grabbed Sunny's free leg and put it over his shoulder, next to the vent, and slammed in hard and fast and strong. The squeeze was almost painful, but he knew Sunstreaker wanted it this way, wanted to be pinned and taken hard in front of his brother, in front of the others. Thundercracker's voice hissed through the haze.. and he could swear that he heard the _others_ moan because of it, because of his words.

"Frag you? Until you do not recall your own designation? Until you see me, feel me, know nothing but the feel of me within you, hard and fast, violence incarnate... You are _mine_, Sunstreaker. No other's. As your twin belongs to you, you, in turn, belong to me. To use as I see fit. And you love it. You love every moment of it. Don't you. _Tell_ _me_, Sunstreaker!" He finished with a loud cry, his hand possibly denting Sunny's wrists in its iron grip.

The golden warrior shrieked, thrashing in Thundercracker's hold, unable to even match his hips with the powerful thrusts that seemed to drill him into the berth with a singleminded purpose. Writhing under his lover did no good, only stimulating sensors that drove him that much more insane with pleasure. "Yes!" He cried. "Yes! Love this! Love it! NEED it!"

Sunstreaker arched, actually lifting them a ways from the berth with the power of his brother's overload. He keened, valve clutching involuntarily to Thundercracker's spike, rippling against it.

The other two heard none of this; it was almost like they were in their own little world. Thundercracker's optics widened at Sunny's loud shriek, and it stimulated him even more, the feeling in his middle almost painful with the need to overload. He held back, though. Sunstreaker needed to know how cherished he was. How treasured. How much TC wanted to pleasure him just the way he liked it.

"You _need_ it." Thundercracker bit Sunny's neck cabling _hard_, nearly tearing through it in his lust. "Want it. Must have it. Must have _me_." He then took Sunstreaker's hands into his own, still stretched above Sunny's head, and gazed directly into those flaring optics, the gorgeous face twisted in pure ecstasy. "Move with me, Sunny." he demanded, and he continued the punishing pace. It was almost too much. Too damned much. His own optics greyed out for a moment, and his control was slipping, falling far away...

"Break, Sunstreaker. I love you." he whispered harshly, letting go of his control and claiming his lover.

And he did. Sunstreaker flung his helm back so hard it clanged off the berth. His mouth opened in a wordless cry that was the pure sound of pleasure and release. His valve clamped down hard, rippling and spasming and milking Thundercracker's spike for everything it had. There were no word to describe it, the white flash that occluded his vision with static, and the sudden tensing of his frame, making his valve that much tighter.

"SUNSTREAKER!" Thundercracker shrieked. His voice broke, the cry tearing through his vocalizer as if ripped from it, and he lost it, lost control of everything. He clung to his lover as the wave shot out from him, followed by the sound that crashed through, shattering the few empty cubes on the floor and deafening TC himself for a few moments. He shook atop Sunny, holding on as if he were the only thing in the universe that mattered, that existed. He kissed Sunstreaker soundlessly, all over his face, over his optics, his lips, even bringing his hands down to press his lips against them as well. His release brought drops of coolant to his optics, and he tried to banish them before anyone else could see, for Thundercracker is supposed to be the strong one.

As soon as the wave passed over him, Sunstreaker collapsed, panting heavily, frame shaking in the aftermath. His hands clutched Thundercracker's and he tiredly moved to intercept any kiss he could. "Mmmm... Never gets any less intense." He murmured, and then, so quietly only Thundercracker could hear him, he said, "Love you..."

"And it won't, Sunstreaker. As long as we both will it, it will be this way." The last two words made Thundercracker hold on to Sunstreaker more tightly, as if he would disappear from his grasp. "I would have no other." he murmured, just as quietly. "I love you as well." He eased himself from Sunny with a pained hiss- his spike was sore in ways he'd never quite felt, and he suddenly wondered what Sunstreaker was feeling right now. He winced in sympathy.

Sunstreaker did his best to hold back the small whine of pain that built as Thundercracker pulled out of his valve. Well... He wasn't getting spiked again anytime soon, that was for sure. "Nnngh... Think that went a little far." He murmured. "Primus, I'm pounding you into scrap if I walk funny!"

* * *

><p>Sideswipe was beginning to stir, coming back to himself with a small groan as his processors rebooted. "Anybody get the license plate of that truck?"<p>

Thundercracker's face darkened slightly. "Apologies, Sunstreaker." He offered his hand to help Sunny sit up.

Starscream overheard /that/ little conversation and began laughing, _hard_. TC just flicked his wings at Star, who looked mock-affronted. "No, I will _not_ frag myself. I just did." He giggled again, sounding like a sparkling who got into the energon goodies again.

"Jet, not truck, Sides." Skywarp said cheerfully. "Apparently your twin twists TC's wires so hard he lets loose his sonics. You'd think he'd have better control over his Sigma talent, but noooo. Be glad I don't lose control of mine- you'd prob'ly get _really_ pissed if I 'ported right before you overloaded."

"Primus." Sideswipe scrubbed a hand over his face, not surprised to find his arm feeling heavy. "And yes. Yes I would be very pissed. Probably wouldn't talk to you for a while. Or at least 'face with you..."

Sunstreaker took it, and he was embarrassed to realize he _needed_ it. He made a face as he sat up, valve twinging sharply. He mentally calculated his chances that Ratchet would believe he and Sideswipe had gotten... a little enthusiastic. They might be able to pull it off. It depended on his mood...

"Now. About those washracks..."

"Only room for two at a time, sorry folks." Starscream said sweetly, noting the rainbow of colors spattered on each and every mech's frame. "Sunstreaker, you look interesting in blue and white, did you know?"

Skywarp bounded up, completely okay, refreshed even. The paint on his plating didn't seem to bother him one bit. "Twins first." he called, sitting on the berth to wait his turn.

Thundercracker stood up, offering that same hand. He...hurt. His legs. His middle. And... other places. Sunstreaker looked like he could hardly walk...that was his fault. "I did not mean to damage you." he said sincerely. "I will be more careful in the future." Part of TC reminded him that Sunny had asked for it, but...sometimes, sometimes they don't know their limits, and it was TC's job to set them if Sunstreaker tried to overstep them. This was one of those times, and he had failed. He would not fail again.

Sunstreaker, for the first time probably in his existence, smiled sheepishly. "Well, it felt good... at the time." He firmly ignored Starscream's comment about his paint.

Sideswipe yelped a little as he was jostled to the side, rolling onto Starscream as Skywarp bounded up. "I have to _move_?" he whined.

"Yup!" Skywarp said cheerfully. "Off with you, scrub yourself. You have half a gallon of transfluid on you and in you and everywhere else...looks like you were the star of a Japanese bukkake flick!" The other two seekers looked blankly at Skywarp, having less than no clue what the teleporter was talking about. "Nevermind." he said hastily. "Just...get Sunny, he can't walk too good cuz TC fragged the legs off him, and help him get the blue off."

Starscream could not contain his laughter anymore. Skywarp was just being Skywarp, but he was being the _old_ 'Warp, the one he'd known before Megatron had fragged it all up. And Star loved it. He let out a true laugh, a rich sound unlike any he's let out in a very long time.

Thundercracker nodded. "It did...but too much is too much. You do not yet know your limits. I crossed them. I will not be doing that again for awhile, I fear. You need to heal yourself...and wash, before your command contacts you again to find out where you are."

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><p><em>More Autobotness next chapter, probably with more twists because that's what the muses demand. Review, please? *turbopuppyoptics*<em>


	9. Chapter 9

_All right, ladies and gents. A few reviewers have told us that the story could look better is we made more of an effort to separate POV, and so we have decided to test this out. We need to hear feedback from you guys, though, on which you prefer! This is important. Yes, this fic originally started out as pure and utter crack, and is from an RP, so certain things have had to be jumbled around. We're working with it, though, and we hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoy writing it._

_Warnings for this chapter: Threesome, stick, spark, mechpreg_

_Disclaimer: Not ours, not in the least!_

_Again, please review! It only takes a few moments and we need feedback on the new formatting!_

* * *

><p>It was the double cheshire grin that was giving Prime that good feeling. He was sure of it. Usually, it meant not good things for <em>somebody<em> (in Ratchet's case) or juicy gossip (in Jazz's case). As it stood, with certain topics on the table, it possibly meant very good things. "Alright, let us begin." The Autobot CO said, opening the table to the usual influx of reports from his various command heads.

The usual followed, grumbled complaints from Red Alert about lax in security, Ironhide trying to convince them they needed a bigger training field, Wheeljack's enthusiasm over his latest project (including all 102 somehow explosive ways that it _didn't_ work) and then it was Ratchet's turn. The slag-eating grin grew as the medic leaned backwards in his seat like a very pleased businessmech.

The rest of the command staff turned to Ratchet as the medic sat back, rather relishing the rest of them hanging on his every word.

"As you all may know, or recently have found out, Sideswipe has managed to get himself sparked up." He eyes the occupants of the room, gauging their responses to this seemingly innocent piece of information.

Ironhide snorted. "That's nice, Ratchet, but is that _really_ a topic of interest for a _command_ _meeting_?" His expression was surly; he wasn't looking forward to losing one of his better fighters for however long it took for Sideswipe to carry.

"It is when the coders are not who you think they are." Ratchet's expression was positively _smug_.

"Are you going to tell us, Ratchet, or are you going to simply tease us with the information?" Prime asked with a smile in his tone.

"Oh, but I'm having _so_ _much_ _fun_." Ratchet grinned, resting his chin in his palm and his elbow on the edge of his chair. "We are all aware that, for the last few months, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe have been having... an affair of sorts."

He waited for the nods and then smirked. Prime was surprised his face didn't split in half. And then he just stayed silent. And they waited. And waited.

And then Prowl's doorwings suddenly twitched up into a high V at the same time Red Alert threw his hands to his audials and screamed, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SLAGGING KIDDING ME!"

Jazz breaks out laughing, _hard_. "Red, m'mech, it's not _that_ bad. Really. Prowl, you are gonna poke somebot's optic out with those if you're not careful. You knew the details. Yeah, Sideswipe got sparked up by not one Seeker, but two. His twins have different coders- Ratch confirmed it."

Ratchet only nodded, while Red Alert looked perilously close to glitching where he sat. Prowl's face grew suddenly very still, as if trying to process the information.

"Which coders?" He asked, and although his voice was controlled, you could almost feel the dread around him.

"Starscream." Ratchet said happily, Ironhide snorting beside him. And then, in a sing song voice, the CMO obviously having far too much fun with this information, added, "And Sky~Warp~."

Pandemonium. Red Alert's helm began sparking erratically, and Prowl's gaze grew very, very blank. Jazz, for his part, laughed uproariously.

"C'mon, the bitlet could be calm as could be!" he said breathlessly.

And that's when Prowl slid strutlessly out his chair, completely overwhelmed by the illogic of Skywarp and Sideswipe procreating.

Optimus Prime was the only mech to stay relatively calm throughout this, but with his mask, it was hard to tell if he was smiling or not. "With this development...Ratchet, can you tend to Red Alert and Prowl, please?...this development, what are the chances that the Seekers will leave the Nemesis?"

Jazz had to fight to gain control of himself, which watching Ratchet grumble as he had to vacate his chair and good mood to fix his superiors did not help. He managed though, and he grinned at his CO and leader. "Personally, Ah would 'ave normally said just a high chance. But Ah picked up an 'expert' on the way here."

"An expert?" Wheeljack asked, and it was obvious by watching the way his helm panels flickered that he was fighting back his own laughter.

"Yup." The saboteur grinned.

"Alright." Optimus said, leaning back in his own chair as his SIC managed to replace himself in his proper chair with as much dignity as was possible after a reboot. "Can we speak with him?"

Jazz grinned and hopped to the door, leaning out and motioning cheerfully to whoever was outside. And then he returned to his seat, followed by a very nervous looking Skyfire.

Skyfire walked into the room, looking somewhat nervous about being in the presence of the entire command staff of the Ark. "Sirs." he said, inclining his head in respect.

Prime raised an optic ridge. He knew of Skyfire's history with Starscream, of course; the shuttle had trusted him with it shortly after he'd joined the Autobots. "Skyfire." he said warmly, trying to make him feel more at ease. "Jazz tells me that you have some special insight into this...situation we find ourselves in."

Ratchet, in the meantime, had Red Alert's helm open and was fidding with the circuitry underneath, trying to contain the power surges initiated by his overwhelming paranoia. Prowl sat up straighter, eyeing Skyfire doubtfully; his processor was still sorting itself out and he doubted if Skyfire had anything important to add, anyway.

"Er, I'm afraid I haven't been informed of the situation, Sir." Skyfire replied, wings held a little higher. Whether from nervous tension or pride in being able to help was unclear.

There was an almost inaudible sigh from Optimus, the semi giving his TIC a glare. Jazz merely grinned back, unrepentant. "Very well, Prowl, if you would?"

By the time Prowl had finished, Skyfire's optics were as wide as human serving saucers. It was rather comical, seeing the poor mech so surprised for once.

"S-starscream and Skywarp are...and Sunstreaker and Thundercracker." Skyfire cleared his intakes, his wingtips twitching. He certainly didn't expect _that_. Ever.

"If-if they are in fact the coders of Sideswipe's sparklings, then they will begin to exhibit protective behaviors toward Sideswipe. It's in seeker programming- they really don't get a choice." Skyfire shrugged. "The same will happen to me, and possibly to the Aerialbots, to a lesser degree; their coding isn't _pure_ Seeker, and neither is mine. It's a very old imperative. If they deem they can best protect and watch over their sparklings by leaving the Decepticons...they will do it. With little hesitation."

Optimus nodded, quite reassured with this occurrence. There was little question they would leave. Both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were Autobots through and through. That much was certain despite certain tendencies between the Twins. And if the Twins returning here, sparked with Seekerlings, meant Megatron lost his air forces, then it was going according to plan.

Well, mostly. Sideswipe being sparked had _not_ been in the plan book at all. Nor had the twins actually forming relationships out of this, but it would be nice to see some happiness come from such a horrible war.

And Prime was secretly thrilled at the idea of seeing sparklings again.

"That is good to know." He said, leaning back. "So what do we do now?"

Jazz jumped back in, grin even wider than Ratchet's had been kliks ago. "We wait."

"Ah'm tired of all this waitin'!" Ironhide complained. "What are we waitin' fer anyways!"

"For our quarry to arrive." Prowl put in, optics on his datapad. "It has been weeks since Sideswipe was diagnosed. And we have waited too long and been too patient for this to fall apart because we could wait no longer."

"But like you've said, it's been weeks!" Red Alert cried as Ratchet sat down. The medic gave the lamboghini a stare as if _daring_ him to short circuit again so soon. Red Alert flinched slightly, but carried on, if only more subdued. "What if they decide it wasn't worth it and never go back!"

"That isn't an issue." Prowl replied, optics still focused on his datapad. "Blaster has just informed me that Sideswipe has been dragged out by a very irritated Sunstreaker. The direction they've taken is northeast, quadrant four. It does not take logic to know where they are going."

Prime nodded at this information. "Jazz, go after them. Do not accost or otherwise threaten the seekers, should they be there."

"They'll be there." Skyfire said."May I come along?"

Jazz just looked at the shuttle with narrowed optics...and finally nodded. "This isn't subterfuge, no sneakin' around. Besides, you can carry us all back after that long walk." He cracked a smile as Skyfire gave him a withering look.

"Starscream _despises_ flying in another Cybertronian." he said flatly.

Red Alert was still twitching somewhat. "This is not going to end well, I tell you! It's not! We will be betrayed, deactivated in our recharge by that treacherous air commander!"

Jazz and Skyfire left the room, Red Alert still spouting off as the door shut behind them.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker growled as Sideswipe hesitated outside the tunnel entrance. He couldn't believe how much of a coward his brother could be! "Sideswipe, I swear to Primus that if you don't get your aft in gear, <em>right<em> _now_, I will toss you over my shoulder and _drag_ you in there!"

Sideswipe shot him a look, even as the emotions in the bond became more fearful and nervous. _/What if they don't want me?/_

The golden mech scowled, gripping his brother's arm and dragging him behind him. _/Then I'll beat their slagging afts!/_ He hissed, completely serious. _/Now come on./_

Starscream was pacing, his wingtips twitching. It had been so long since he'd seen them, heard from them. He had given up everything for him, and now he felt so alone that it literally hurt in his spark. He looked over at the berth, where Skywarp was lying, in light recharge for lack of anything better to do. warp had helped him, been there for him...but it wasn't the same. It wasn't the same at all.

Thundercracker perked up from his datapad. "Someone is coming. Two someones." Starscream hoped against hope that it was _them_. TC didn't bother...he figured that he had lost his chance when he'd hurt his lover, had taken his trust. He had failed.

Thundercracker rarely spoke anymore.

_And then, faintly heard through the sealed door..._

"OW! Stop dragging your pedes, bit brain! You made me scuff my fragging paint!"

"Well if you'd quit yanking me forward I wouldn't have tripped and _you_ wouldn't have hit the wall!"

"I wouldn't _have_ to yank if you quit stopping every three steps-"

"Well if you would stop _dragging_ me-"

"We've wasted enough fragging time over _your_ insecurities, you stupid, moronic-"

"_SLAG_ _OFF,_ SUNSTREAKER!"

Starscream wanted to laugh and to cry all at once. What in the frag were they fighting about... He rushed to open the door, unsealing it as fast as he could. Cooler air and bright light poured in, making Starscream look almost ethereal in the shadows.

"Sides...is that you? Is it really you?"

Thundercracker head this, all of it, and forced himself not to get up, not to rush to the door like Starscream had. He had to let Sunny come to him. If he came back, of his own free will... but if he chose not to, and it was ultimately his choice, TC had to live with that.

Sideswipe nearly froze, joy and terror colliding all at once. Sunstreaker groaned and grabbed his shoulders, pushing him forward roughly. "Let us in, took me for fragging ever to get him here!"

Starscream held the door wide open, his face struggling to hold back the smile. "You were gone..for so long. So long. Are you back? Did you come back?" He knew he sounded ridiculous, and far too needy...but he couldn't help it. Sideswipe had seen his vulnerabilities and accepted them...he could accept this.

Thundercracker looked up as the twins entered and despite all his control he could not hide the look in his optics upon seeing Sunstreaker- almost hungry. He devoured the mech with his gaze, tracing all the familiar lones of his form, longing to touch.

"_Sunstreaker_..." he said, almost too softly to be heard.

Sunstreaker's gaze fell on the blue Seeker, optics darkening in repressed lust and want... But he shook his helm and stood there in the center of the room, hands still firmly on Sideswipe's shoulders. "You'll want to wake Warp up. We have something to tell you. Or, bit brain here does."

Sideswipe's face seemed to pale and he stood almost ramrod stiff, respiration picking up slightly as he began to panic.

Thundercracker noted the change in Sunstreaker's gaze for that instant, and wondered what it signifed...but he nodded once, and went over to wake the black and violet seeker. "Up, Skywarp. The twins are here and they wish to talk to all of us."

Skywarp's ruby optics onlined, and he wriggled around somewhat dazedly. "What? They're here? Fraggers! Why the frell did they take so fragging _long_ to come back?" He sat bolt upright.

Starscream stiffened. Here it comes, he thought. They're not coming back. He twisted his hands together, his wings betraying how nervous he really was. "Tell us, Sides...tell me. No matter what."

Sideswipe's optics flicked from Seeker to Seeker, his spark begging his brother to not make him do this. He got a firm shake, but his mouth remained firmly shut, lips even pressing tightly into a thin line.

Sunstreaker growled, shaking him harder, and his gaze dropped to the floor, his servos fiddling with each other as he mumbled something.

Sunstreaker lost his patience, cuffing his twin sharply on the back of his helm. "They can't hear you bit brain! Spit it out!"

Sideswipe glared over his shoulder, clutching his stinging audial in one servo, before his gaze returned to the floor and he said _just_ loud enough to be heard (and for his lovers to pretend they didn't hear him), " Said, I'm carrying. Sparklets."

"What?" Skywarp said. He scooted off the berth in a hurry, and placed his hand, without even asking, atop the plating that covered Sideswipe's spark chamber.

Skywarp nodded, wonder dawning in his optics. "He is. Two. And...one of them...is like me? Part of me? Close to me?" he asked rhetorically, not really sure what to make of it.

Starscream stared. "Carrying. You're...is that why you avoided us? Avoided _me_? Sideswipe." He rushed over and gathered the red twin in a hug, crushing Skywarp between them. Skywarp begain squawking; his wings were being bent in interesting ways, but he settled down after getting more comfortable.

Thundercracker just looked at Sunstreaker, waiting. He wondered if he had been avoiding them for that reason as well...but Thundercracker's sense had always been more dull than his trinemates', and he couldn't tell until a carrier was well into their time. Still. He just stared at his lover...he hoped he was still his lover...and remained silent, as silent as he'd been for a straight decacycle.

Sideswipe grunted in surprise, face nearly buried in Skywarp's cockpit. He felt hope burst through him and he fidgeted. "Y-you're not mad...?"

Sunstreaker, satisfied now that it was out in the open and it didn't look like Sideswipe was being rejected, eased himself to Thundercracker's side, taking his lover's servo and entwining their digits without preamble. "Sorry Sides is an aft."

Thundercracker's vents hitched, and he allows Sunstreaker to take his hand with no resistance. "Sunstreaker." His voice was more sure now, a bit stronger. "You stayed away...because of Sideswipe's condition. Not because I harmed you?" He needed to know this, needed it like energon, like he needed the sky.

"NO." Two voices cried in unison. "Why would I be mad? I was hurt that you stayed away..."

"I was mad because you took off for five fragging weeks!" Skywarp declared, interrupting Starscream.

Star glared at his trinemate, and Skywarp shut his mouth. Starscream looked at Sideswipe and held on tightly, one hand tracing where the sparklings rested, still to small for anyone but a medic or a sensitive Seeker to discern.

"Mine, yours, and Skywarp's." he said softly.

Sideswipe nodded slowly, slumping with the relief he felt. "Yeah. Yeah, they're yours." He said, voice now devoid of tension. His own arms (shorter than either Seeker's) came up to wrap around the fliers as best as they could with Skywarp squished in the middle. "So I drove myself half sick with worry over nothing?"

Sunstreaker gave Thundercracker a questioning look. "What? No! Frag no, I asked for it! And it was damned good, you paranoid fragger!" He sighed, rubbing the back of his helm. "Sideswipe was only half of it. Ratchet is a fragging slave driver and after news got out, it was fragging impossible to get out without _somebot_ figuring it out..." His voice lowered so only Thundercracker heard. "And it's not because of the sex that I keep coming back, though you do make that damn near irresistible."

* * *

><p>"You did." Starscream's optics lit up, and he leaned into Sideswipe. "I would not abandon you because of <em>that<em>."

"Yeah, Sides, it not like you gave us scraplets or something. You're gonna have my winglets. Or maybe winglets. We can't tell yet?" Skywarp looked questioningly at Starscream.

Sideswipe's smile was brilliant and he nearly burst with joy. "They're little white sparks with a golden hue! Does that mean anything?"

Starscream smiled slightly. "Seeker sparks are generally golden. Your is pure blue...I do not yet know. Later, we will be able to tell. The spin rate of a seeker spark is also higher, and your energy consumption will increase accordingly..." Starscream realized that he sounded like a professor, or worse, Ratchet. "I'll be here for you for it. I won't go. Anything."

"Me too, fragger. Star, don't forget me, he's carrying mine too!" Skywarp wiggled a bit more, moving to kiss Sideswipe lightly on the neck. "And I already left the Nemesis. If we went back now, we'd be dismantled for scrap."

And that gave Sideswipe pause. "Uh, how's this back and forth thing going to affect you?"

Starscream paused. "We haven't _gone_ back. At all. Even since you left us that day, we've been here. My generator provides us with enough fuel to subsist, and it is comfortable enough, if a bit confining. We fly at night, and I cover my white plating with mud to hide it from potentially prying optics." Starscream shrugged.

"I've had to be here for Star, y'know." Skywarp said without anger. "He missed you so bad it hurt him. You better not keep on doing that." Skywarp's optics caught Sunny and TC heading to the back of the room, toward the racks, and he laughed _hard_.

Sideswipe, a little put out with the sudden laughter (he couldn't see behind him and his brother had blocked the bond the moment he's confessed) pouted. "I meant mine and Sunny's back and forth... And I didn't mean to make it hurt..." His voice lowered a little. "I was just... scared."

"I won't leave you for that. I swear it. As for you going back and forth...if that's what has to be done, then it is." Starscream looked somewhat unhappy at this prospect, and Skywarp did too. Their coding was yelling at them to stay with the carrier of their little ones, their newsparks, and that would be difficult to ignore.

"We should...maybe...try to see if Prime might still give us asylum." Skywarp offered slowly. "It could happen. Do they know it's us?"

Sideswipe shook his helm. "Ratch thinks they're Sunny's so Sunny and I swung with it. It was easiest and kept you from getting caught." He explained. "Will be harder if they're winglets."

Starscream's optics narrowed. "Ratchet should know better. You and your twin can't spark each other. It's impossible." His expression grew thoughtful. "If he knows they aren't Sunstreaker's...then who does he really think sparked you?"

"He doesn't know about _us_, does he?" Skywarp asked, not really understanding the whole split-spark thing but be trusted Starscream.

Sideswipe shook his helm, optics wide. "No! No we haven't said anything! And we've been really careful!"

But if Ratchet should _know_ better and he's told _them_ they were Sunstreaker's... Then what the frag did that mean?

"Then I don't know. I don't trust that assessment. Again, Ratchet has been treating you for how long now? He's probably the closest thing to an expert on split-spark twins you're going to get in this area." Starscream moved the three of them over to the berth, for easier cuddling.

"I guess we're gonna have to go easier on you now, huh?" Skywarp said, tracing Sides' lips with one finger.

Sideswipe whined. "Please tell me that doesn't mean no more 'facing!"

It'd been too long, he hadn't even faced with _Sunstreaker_ in the time they'd been away. Ratchet hadn't _said_ anything about 'facing, so he desperately hoped he had to avoid it. And if he did, well, he was rather accomplished at looking pathetic to get his way.

Starscream smirked. "It doesn't mean no more 'facing...just means we might be somewhat gentler with you, especially if we share sparks again.

"Want it that bad, Sides?" Skywarp purred into Sideswipe's audial. His hand crept low, rubbing in circles on Sideswipe's upper thigh.

Sideswipe's spark sang and he pushed into the contact, a servo stroking out over Skywarp's wing. "Oh ba-bee," He purred. "Always want it bad."

Skywarp looked at Starscream, who nodded. Then he moved quickly, pinning Sides to the berth. Starscream leaned over the trapped warrior, brushing his lips across Sideswipe's far too gently for any of them. Skywarp's hands held Sides down by the shoulders, his legs similarly pinned by Skywarp's weight. Starscream looked appraisingly at his trinemate and lover entwined like this, and his crimson optics lit up.

"Very nice." he purred. "Kiss him, Sides, like you really mean it." His own hands gripped Skywarp's wing edges, right where he liked it most.

Sideswipe grinned up at Starscream before turning his heated gaze on Skywarp. With deliberate slowness, he tipped his helm up and pressed their lips together, taking it slow as he mouthed at the pale grey lips, denta grazing the bottom lip before his glossa flicked out and he deepened it.

Starscream moaned appreciatively; watching the two of them together was slagging _hot_, no matter how you looked at it. His hands caressed Skywarp's dark wings, pinching lightly to begin with, the grip growing tighter the closer he came to Skywarp's back. The violet Seeker moaned and writhed under the wingplay, pressing his lips more firmly into Sideswipe's. His hands weren't still, either- one cupped Sides' face gently, and the other trailed down to tease his interface plating, fingertips scratching roughly across the smoothness.

Sideswipe moaned as well, helm forced back to the berth from the pressure of Skywarp pushing forward. Which was okay with him. It meant they could press deeper. His moan was muffled by Skywarp's mouth and he tried to shift his legs further apart for Skywarp's questing servos, but the Seeker's weight on them made it nearly impossible. He huffed slightly, one servo moving behind to sink fingers into a wing hinge now that his arms were free, the other moving to touch whatever it could reach of Starscream.

Skywarp shifted a bit, so that Sides could spread himself further- it was for his benefit as well, and Starscream pinched Warp's wingtips as a reward. Skywarp's back arched into the touches, and he nibbled on Sideswipe's lips, his fingers scratching lightly across Sides' closed panel.

"Open for me. I wanna see you." Warp breathed softly.

Starscream's azure fingertips dug into Skywarp's wing hinges and his thigh stretched out, wanting more of Sideswipe's touch. "A little over, Sides, even if that's nice...I missed you so much." he admitted.

Sideswipe moaned, his panel snapping aside for his lover, spike beginning to pressurize and valve well on its way to dripping. "Missed you too." He breathed. "So, so much." He grinned up at Starscream. "Dreamed about you."

Skywarp cocked his head, hearing the roar from the 'racks, and looked at Sideswipe with a grin. "Looks like TC's got ahead of us. Guess I need to catch up, huh?" Skywarp's fingers quickly found Sides' spike, and he began stroking it, gently at first, pumping him with long movements that grazed every sensor on the shaft. Starscream's optics twinkled and he purred, "We can't have _that_." and his lips claimed Sides' soft cries escaping through the seal of lips on lips. He lifted up for a moment and whispered, "Dreamed of me? Did you? And what did you see, love?"

"Yeah -Ah! Primus Warp!- I did. Lots of things, oooooh!" Sideswipe was having a bit of trouble concentrating on his answers with the way Skywarp's fingers expertly teased at his spike. "W-was one where -ngh - Where you were-AH- a knight in shinging armoooor!" His hips jumped into the touches now, thoughts scrambled with the pleasurable feed back.

Starscream wanted to laugh at this. "Me, a knight? I think not...but I would rescue you from anything that dared try to hold you. Except Warp here." Skywarp snickered and kept up the smooth strokes, readying Sideswipe for what Skywarp wanted. Starscream knew what they were going to do, he could feel it in the weak empathic link that he and Skywarp had. He got behind Sides and released himself, his spike poking insistently at Sideswipe's thigh. "I'm gonna take you while you spike Skywarp. He wants to try you like that. Do you want that?" He followed the question with a soft kiss to Sides' neck, a kiss that trailed up the side in a slow slide.

Skywarp nodded, sliding beneath the two. His thighs were already damp from a combination of Starscream's hand on his wings and his own imagination. "Want you to take me." he said, a mischevious grin lighting his pale face.

"Ooooh, yeeesssss." Sideswipe hissed, optics staring lustfully down at Skywarp, servos eagerly tracing black plating. He pressed what he could into Starscream at the same time, groaning at the thoughts permeating his meta before biting his bottom lip. "Oh, I want."

"You want?" Skywarp asked, licking his lips. "Good. I want too. Now." He wrapped his right legs around Sideswipe's leg, forcing him closer to him. He spread himself wide open, wanting something in his leaking port, as soon as possible. His rocked upward, encouraging Sideswipe to just take him already.

Starscream had no such compunctions or problems- he slid inside his lover with a long gasp, his spike twitching at the feel, the closeness and need he was experiencing. "You feel so fragging good." Star moaned, fighting the urge to slam inside the way he would like it. He kept his movements relatively gentle, though fast.

Sideswipe groaned, pressing forward and sheathing himself in Skywarp for the first time. He was tight. Not as tight as Starscream, but it was still a pleasurable squeeze on his painfully hard spike. He moaned, lips searching for the dark flier's with a desperation that alighted in him as their EM fields twined with his. He could feel his spark jump, spin faster, sparklets seeming to react with joy. He made a surprised noise.

Starscream noticed his jump and patted his shoulders soothingly, unsure why he'd done such a thing. He continued moving, though- not quite hard enough to move Sides into Skywarp, but fast enough that the friction was building steady heat in his middle, spreading to his extremities in a stunning tide. "Want more, Sides? Deeper? Can you take it? Don't want to hurt you, any of you." he muttered, holding himself back.

"OhhhhhhhhhSides." Skywarp's optics flickered, and he crushed his hips upward, meeting every movement he could. "More. More _now_. I'm not gonna break, slaggit, I wanna _feel_ you in me."

"Can take what you want to give me." He murmured, still reaching for that feeling in his spark, soaking in the happiness and joy that wasn't his, but was his. He shoved his hips forward, grinding his and Skywarp's arrays together. One hand reached for the teleporter's recessed spike and he pressed two digits against the cover and rubbed firmly with his next thrust.

Skywarp cried out loudly, his hips jumping at the contact, and his spike pulsed behind the touch, strainging for release. "Oh slaggit Sides what the frag you feel so _good_!" he babbled, his optics squinched tightly to block out external stimuli. Starscream took all this in and said lowly, "We'll see about _that_." He snapped forward, nowhere near as hard as Thundercracker took his brother, but still forceful and strong. His spike impacted the top of Sideswipe's valve, and Starscream keened aloud at the feeling, the slow clench. "Tell me." Starscream said in that soft tone. "Tell me what you want, how it feels. Tell me what you want me to do to you...and I will do it."

Sideswipe gasped sharply, hips following the movement of Starscream's and thrusting firmly into Skywarp. He moaned in pleasure, Starscream's words turning him on something fierce. "Feels - nggggh- feels good, Stars." He moaned, helm thunking against Skywarp's shoulder where he mouthed at the seam connecting it to his torso. "Want you to decide." He said finally. "What do _you_ want, Starscream?"

"I want to take you." Starscream purred. "All of you. Until you can't do anything by gasp my name." He punctuated this with a wicked thrust, shoving hard enough to drive Sides into Skywarp, who jerked again at the motion. Sky looked up, ruby locked onto azure, and he smiled, hands coming up to take Sides' own hands in his. He thrust back, trapping their lover between the two Seekers, moving back and forth in a slide that quickly had them both panting and writhing, soft words and pleas echoing around them.

Sideswipe's voice joined theirs, caught in the middle of his lovers. HE couldn't do anything but go along for the ride, rocking between them and moaning like a wanton pleasure bot. He squirmed, a cacaphony of pleas for harder, faster, more leaving his lips.

"More? Harder? Faster? You heard the mech, Sky. Let's give it to him." Starscream's gaze met Skywarp's and they rocked in unison, a devastating tandem thrust and ebb that had Skywarp nearly screaming at the stimulation, his valve pounded by his lover and trinemate, his spike emerging only to swell and splash fluid all over Sideswipe's hand and his own plating. Starscream could feel it, feel the random clench that heralded Sides' overload, and he ground inward _deeply_, wanting him to feel it all the way in. He slammed inside his lover, his /love/, giving him everything he had...except his spark. "Open. Both of you. I need this." Star hissed, parting his chestplates for a quick merge. Skywarp quickly followed with a dazed look in his optics, hands clenching Sideswipe's hard enough to dent.

Sideswipe hesitated. Was it okay? With the sparklets? But staring down at the golden swirl of Skywarp's spark and feeling the heat of Starscream's on his back on top of his overload washing through him, it was hard to think straight or rationally. He parted his own chestplates, revealing his engorged spark, tiny golden whit sparklets zooming around in excitement just inside his spark chamber.

Skywarp laughed, saying in a staticky tone, "I see them! Hi, winglets!" His own spark reached out to join Sideswipe's with tendrils of Starscream meeting it as they rocked as if they were a single being, barely moving inside each other. The feelings were warm, comforting, and a strong current of togetherness, mixed with delighted wonder at the newsparks suffused both Seekers as they transmitted it through their link. A single note of sadness rang through, quickly stifled. A desire to join more permanently tempered with the knowledge that it could not happen.

"Sorry.." Starscream said, holding on tightly.

Sideswipe shook his helm, carefully hiding his own longing from his lovers as they rocked him between them. He hadn't forgotten what Starscream had said before, about bonding to the same mech. But Sideswipe wasn't sure he wanted to take the risk. Not after that one and only time. He groaned, sensation flooding him and the tiny sparks pulsed back at him, pure emotion that he translated to his lovers.

"Please...!" Starscream gasped, not knowing what to do. Should he send his emotion through them, as strong as it was? Should he just _be_? He didn't know. "Don't want to harm- what can I do...love you two...don't go away!"

"Not!" moaned Skywarp, entranced by the dancing sparks. His body moved with the others, but his mind was fully on the little ones he saw dancing happily around Sideswipe's spark, near where they were joined...He sent a wave of love and comfort, of protection and pride through their link, and clung to Sideswipe. "So pretty. You and me and Star and them..."

Sideswipe bit back the cry of his next overload, yanking one hand from Skywarp's to grab at one of Starscream's. "Love you! Both of you!"

* * *

><p><em>Near the others...<em>

Thundercracker' turbines rumbled, and he looked up at Sunstreaker before a devilish grin slid across his lips...and he pulled him down into his lap, lips meeting Sunstreaker's in a passionate, almost desperate movement. In between the nips and low purring growls coming from his vocalizer, he muttered, "Don't leave me again. You are mine."

Sunstreaker's yelp of surprise was cut off by those sinfully warm lips and even as Thundercracker finished and left him breathless he managed, "Said I was. Didn't leave. Just couldn't come sooner..."

Thundercracker was oblivious to the conversation just feet away from them. "I could not feel you, I did not see you. Sunstreaker...I have missed you. And not just for _that_ reason, though I do have to be honest and say that I have missed that as well." His tone dropped, just loud enough for Sunstreaker alone to hear. "If you come with me to the washracks, I will show you just how much I have missed you, how much I cherish you." He followed this with another kiss, sucking lightly on Sunny's thin lower lip.

Sunstreaker's vent caught, his hands clenching on Thundercracker's shoulders where they had come rest. "Think I'd like that..." He breathed, pressing their lips together again as heat flashed through his components. "Think I'd _really_ like that." He'd never been much of a valve mech before, but TC was slowly converting him.

Thundercracker's optics burned and he stood, taking Sunstreaker with him to the 'racks in the alcove in the rear of the room. He turned on the water and it steamed, warm but not too hot. He got himself all wet, water dripping off of suddenly shining dark blue plating...and then he did the unexpected.

He lowered himself before Sunstreaker, on his knees, and began nuzzling at Sunny's interface covers needily. "I said...this was for you, Sunstreaker. Open to me, and I will give you pleasure like you have never known."

Sunstreaker's optics, which were now shaded dark with kust at the wonderful feast of dark blue metal presented to him, widened in shock. The water hit him now as well, Thundercracker's frame no longer shielding him from the spray and he ignored the streams sliding down his helm and face and plating as he stared down at his chosen lover. His plating snapped aside, legs shaking as he locked the joints down and leaned back against the wall, hands braced at his sides.

"Show me." He breathed, small seductive smirk turning up his mouth.

"I will _show_ you." Thundercracker gazed up, and his glossa emerged from those full lips, brushing against Sunstreaker's spike housing in a very slow drag. His hands braced themselves on Sunny's thighs, holding them firmly and slightly apart, and he moved lower...and lower still, his helm fully between Sunstreaker's thighs to lick gently at his valve opening. "Sweet." he breathed, moving back up to Sunstreaker's spike. "Very, very sweet."

Sunstreaker's thighs tried to clench shut on instinct but he moaned at the liquid pleasure suddenly suffusing his array. Always being one for little patience and/or control, his spike housing opened nearly the same time as his valve cover snapping aside. Arousal sang in his circuits and his optics were glued to the scene. "TeeCee..." He breathed.

"Yes, Sunny?" Thundercracker's voice was low, extremely soft, and tempered with blistering arousal that he passed on through his lips and glossa, wrapping them around Sunstreaker's spike in a deft movement. He moved down, down _low_ and gently sucked, moving his glossa up and down the ridges with a practiced movement. He growled low in his throat, vibrations shooting through Sunstreaker's interface array...and his right hand slid over to the rim of Sunny's valve, lightly brushing over it.

"Hngk!" Sunstreaker's hips jumped forward with the touch and heat around his spike and valve. He whined, helm clanging back against the wall as he panted. "Sweet fragging _Primus_!"

"He isn't here...but I am." Thundercracker said lowly as he lifted off somewhat, to exchange his lips and his fingers. His glossa dipped inside Sunny's valve, swirling around the sensory nodes at its entrance, and he nipped, very very lightly, at the rim, moaning heavily into the opening. This was heating him up _quite_ a bit, but Thundercracker refused to let his plating loose, refused to allow himself to do a thing until Sunstreaker had overloaded both spike an valve, preferably at TC's own touch. His fingers wrapped themselves around Sunstreaker's spike and stroked firmly, using the oral fluids he himself had left to make the slide hot and wet.

"Want more, Sunstreaker?"

Fraggit you know I do!" He growled, hips jerking into each slide of the hand on his spike. He also wanted Thundercracker to stop talking and put his glossa back in him! This was already torture and it had barely _started_!

"Just asking." That smile was back, and Thundercracker dipped back down, slipping his glossa back inside his lover, thrusting it in and out like a soft, wet spike. He could feel the lubricant dripping from the walls onto his lips, and he moaned softly, lapping it up as if it were the finest high grade. His hand moved faster, in an erratic squeeze, first soft, then harder, but up and down in a steady movement. Thundercracker's intakes became faster, and the pressure behind his own plating was terribly distracting...but he kept on, his lips now sealed around Sunny's entrance, moaning into his valve for more, even more.

Sunstreaker moaned unabashedly, port clenching on the slick appendage and spike twitching in Thundercracker's grip. "Oh, Thundercracker!" He moaned. the charge was building, an exquisite burn in his internals that pooled at the juncture of his thighs. Oh if he could die now, he would die happy.

TC moaned loudly; the sound of his name, in that voice, from those lips shot nearly painful lust through his systems. He redoubled his efforts on Sunny's port, tickling internal sensors with just the tip of his glossa, and his lips kissed firmly around it, alternately mouthing the entire entrance and moving up to flick the outer nodes, hot air gusting from TC's mouth, his vents, everywhere. The water beat down upon them both, tingling across Thundercracker's wings, and his hand slowed on Sunny's spike, not wanting him to go off with both at once. He wanted to taste Sunstreaker fully...

Sunstreaker whined, not liking the slower pace at all. Yet just as soon as he thought that, his hips jerked down in surprise as his valve convulsed thanks to Thundercracker's ministrations on the sensitive nodes at the entrance and his valve overloaded. He gasped, water flying as his vents roared. He whined again when the first high began to wear off, his spike still painfully hard and throbbing.

Thundercracker gasped, the fluid covering his lips and lower face. He took all of it that he could, easing Sunny through the aftershocks...and then looked up with a predatory glance. His wings quivered enticingly. "Touch me." TC ordered, right before his lips closed around Sunstreaker's spike and he took it down to the hilt and back up before Sunstreaker could do so much as blink. He kept the pace up, flexing his intake and swirling his glossa around the shaft, deliberately rumbling his engines to intensify the feelings.

And it wasn't so much the command but instinct that had Sunstreaker's servos leaving the wall as he leaned forward with a cry. They clamped down, one on the back of Thundercracker's helm, the other on a wing and stroking out. He moaned and writhed, applying pressure to encourage Thundercracker to go faster. Primus this felt good!

TC allowed the hand on the back of his helm with no hesitation, allowing his lover to push him further onto his spike, making loud moans and slurping noises as he swallowed every bead and drop of fliud that dripped freely from it. He drew back for an instant and looked up at Sunstreaker with those fiery optics. "Give it all to me, Sunny!" he demanded, his wing twitching in Sunny's grip. He redoubled his efforts on the pulsing spike in his mouth, bobbing up and down at a rapid pace, firm suction and random flexing of his intakes only intensifying the feelings.

And a second charge tripped through Sunstreaker's systems and he howled Thundercracker's name as transfluid flooded his lover's mouth. His legs gave out, the joints stiff and he slid to the floor as soon as his spike was free. He panted, fingers twitching and convulsing where they rested on the Seeker's wing edges and his vents roared, flinging water droplets out.

Thundercracker grunted and swallowed Sunstreaker's fluids quickly, his interface array screaming for attention now. He brushed his lips across Sunny's, the faint stickiness of the mech's own transfluid still evident there, and his intakes came in heated pants as he still knelt, his form looming over Sunstreaker's. The grasp on his wings was driving him crazy, and he trembled under the water.

"Want you, want you so _much_, Sunstreaker." he admitted. "If you wish to rest, though, I can take care of myself..." Not doing _anything_ was completely out of the question- TC felt like his spike was going to explode if he didn't overload soon.

"Can take it." Sunstreaker said, slightly dizzy with pleasure. "Can't knock me down so soon, TC." Then he pulled him into a proper kiss, lapping at the excess fluid still there.

TC growled softly, leaning over Sunstreaker's dazed form. "I am not knocking you down, though you may lose your footing." he said with a smile. He bore Sunny down onto the wet ceramic tiles, pressing him into the floor with his hands on Sunny's shoulders. His spike finally sprang free, and TC moaned in sheer relief, entering Sunstreaker in almost the same movement. TC's previous ministrations had left Sunstreaker extremely slick and ready, the slippery heat almost too much for Thundercracker to take. "Tell me if I am too much." he said, very serious, as he moved steadily within his golden lover, his body trembling with the effort to stay steady and in control.

Sunstreaker nodded as best he could, the spread of his valve and the thick, throbbing intruder taking away most of his power to think. He moaned, clenching his valve on purpose and replacing his hands on his lover's wings. They stroked out, digits scraping over surface sensors with deliberate pressure. He wound golden legs around black hips and tugged down every time Thundercracker thrust. He moaned, long and low, helm dropping back and optics offlining in pleasure.

TC's backstrut arched up when Sunny wrapped those long legs around him, and he thrust even deeper. Sunny's continued wingplay sent electric pleasure rolling across his form, and he could do nothing but try and reciprocate, twisting his hips at the end of every thrust to stimulate Sunstreaker like no other lover but him had done before. "You feel divine, I could stay like this forever." he whispered, lips pressing against Sunny's neck. His length pulsed in want, stretching and filling Sunny, and he couldn't help the moans that fell from his lips- oh, he had missed this, had wanted this, needed Sunstreaker so much...

Sunstreaker's own sounds of pleasure mingled with that of his lover's the sounds bouncing on the walls, his frame being pushed along the ceramic with each deep push. His back would be scratched up, but he could live with it... At least until the interfacing was over. Then he could bitch about it. And think up an excuse. For now there was... "AH! THUNDERCRACKER!" He cried, the blunt tip of the Seeker's spike compressing /that/ cluster of nodes to the back of his valve and sending liquid pleasure racing through his lines.

"Yes. Yes. I love to hear you. I want to hear you call out to me, only for me. Mine, my Sunny. Let go." Thundercracker said in a rising tone, on the edges of an explosive feeling that he wasn't sure he could contain. He thrust incrementally harder, not willing to hurt Sunny like he had last time, but it felt so good, and he writhed so beautifully...His hand took Sunstreaker's hips and pulled him into the thrusting motion, his optic locked onto his lover's to see his reactions.

"Nnngh! Yours! You're mine...won't share.. Promised!" Sunstreaker babbled, and he might remember to be embarrassed later, but for now this was enough. He was hovering on the edge and then Thundercracker moved his hips and the angle changed and heat exploded outward and he wailed his third release, back arched, fingers clenching and denting, chassis grinding against cockpit. Then he slumped, spent and sated.

Yes...I am yours." TC breathed, his release coming hard and intense, his wings stiffening in Sunny's grasp as he moaned loudly, lost in the sensations. "No other's. I am here for you, no matter what." He held on tightly, his head resting on top of Sunny's helm, cradling him in his embrace.

Sunstreaker hummed his approval, lying strutlessly for several moments. Finally, he let go of Thundercracker's wings and squirmed, trying to push TC to the side so that he didn't have so much weight on him.

Thundercracker moved slightly, always forgetting that he would squash Sunstreaker. "I told you that I missed you." he said, looking up at the still running water. He didn't have the will to stand and turn it off, not yet.

Sunstreaker snickered. "I can see that." His mouth worked on his next words with some difficulty, still not used to voicing his feelings. "Missed you too..."

TC pulled Sunny onto his lap with some difficulty, out of the water spray for now, and kissed him on the forehead...a little embarrassing, perhaps, to be kissed like a sparkling, but Thundercracker's gaze proved that that isn't how he meant it.

Sunstreaker squirmed in some embarrassment but didn't fight the embrace. He glanced down at himself, noting the long lines of silver shining from under the golden. The blue he doesn't mind so much. "You owe me a repaint." He fumbled half sparkedly.

"A repaint? Is _that_ what you are most concerned for?" Thundercracker teases. "You do not want _me_ to do it, because I would ruin your finish permanently. Starscream tends to do the trine's touchups." TC just held on, though, wanting this closeness as the cooling water washed away the evidence of their joining.

He laughed, watching the transfluid and lubricant tinged water drain away. "Either way, I want a repaint."

Thundercracker nods. "I would get you this world's moon if you wanted it, Sunstreaker. All you have to do is ask. It just might take time for me to grab it from the sky."

Sunstreaker laughed and then sighed. "Think they're done yet?"

Skyfire muttered a curse as he was hit in the face with a large tree branch for the thirty-seventh time, by his count. "This forest is not made for someone my height." he said, frowning down at Jazz. Jazz was following in Skyfire's trail, unworried about anything in his path...the shuttle demolished it quite handily before Jazz had to walk through it.

"Skyfire, my mech, we're almost there. I see the stone, and I think they're just right around that..."

A loud screech echoes through the door the Seekers had forgotten to close all the way, and Jazz jumped, looking for its cause. "What was that? Sounded like a hurt animal!"

Skyfire looked over at Jazz and stays silent, his cheeks heating up quite quickly. "It's not. I promise." is the only explanation he gave.

"How th'Pit do you know? You a wildlife expert too?" Jazz teased.

"No, I'm a Starscream expert. And if I heard that right, he's overloading right now." Skyfire finally managed, embarrassed beyond all reason.

Jazz positively _crowed_. "Oh, I have _got_ to see this!" he said, hurrying into the cavelike room. Skyfire applied palm to face and followed; after all, it wasn't anything he'd never seen before.

Starscream shrieked as his spark flared, his entire form twisting in a powerful overload that hit him like a Guardian and caused him to begin shaking like a leaf in high winds. He didn't even notice the two Autobots enter; his optics were whited out, and his lips kept moving even through the static that his voice morphed into.

Skywarp, on the other hand, saw Jazz and stopped for a brief moment...then figuring he was too far gone and into it to stop now, he actually _grinned_ and moaned theatrically, grinding his hips into Sideswipe's even as his spark swelled and sent energy pulsing through the trio in his own overload. "Yes, yes, yes!" he cried, looking right at Skyfire as he did it.

Thundercracker tilted his head and shook it in the negative. "Almost. Not quite. That was Starscream...and there's Warp." He took the time they still had alone to kiss Sunstreaker one more time, cupping his face in both hands. "You are beautiful, inside and out."

Sunstreaker felt his faceplates heat and he turned his face away to cover his embarrassment. He still wasn't used to the compliments. "Yeah, um... Sides is done too..." He mumbled standing and going to the door, smirk firmly back in place... And then he slammed it shut again, panic flaring as he stumbled back. They were fragging screwed!

His brother's panic killed what would have been a good afterglow and he glanced up to glare at the washrack's doors when he froze completely, face dropping and spark flaring in panic.

"Don't stop now." Jazz said with a grin. "Those newsparks need all the energy you c'n give 'em."

Skyfire's optics briefly locked onto Starscream, and his face heated even more. He turned away, intentionally, hearing the washrack door slam, and decided to check it out.* Yes, Starscream was still desirable*, he thought, *but I have another now.*

"Hello? Sunstreaker?"

"Who is that." Thundercracker hissed. He stood up to turn off the water; the tnk had nearly run dry anyway, and the trickle was just that, a bare trickle. "Who is here?"

Skywarp just grinned and covered Sides' optics. "There, now you can't see them." He clenched deliberately around Sideswipe's rapidly depressurizing spike, to reassure him.

Starscream saw Skyfire and almost fell off the berth. His lips moved, and when he saw the obviously embarrassed look Skyfire gave him he flopped his helm down onto Sides' back, cursing softly.

"Calm down, you're not in trouble. 'Cept bein' late returning." Jazz informed those present.

Sideswipe buried his face in Skywarp's shoulder to stifle the gasp from the clench, but also to maybe kinda pretend this wasn't real.

"Don't open that!" Sunstreaker hissed. "Frag it I knew this would happen, but why _now_!"

"Who is it?" Thundercracker asked again, feeling a bit exasperated. He moved to open the door himself, one eyeridge raised in question.

"What do you want?" Starscream asked, feeling cold inside. He calmly withdrew from Sideswipe and re-covered himself, tapping the others on the shoulder to make them get up as well. "You have already _seen_ the truth of it."

Skywarp said, "Slag off, Star, not moving! There's an Autosl...um, Autobot here and I got my panel hanging off. Don't want _him_ trying for these pretty black wings too!" He held on to Sideswipe possessively, glaring at Jazz.

Sideswipe squirmed under Jazz's huge grin, not exactly trying to get our of Skywarp's grip (not that he thought Skywarp would _let_ him) although he did retract his spike. "How long?" He asked, voice hoarse.

Skyfire had to bend to see into the washwracks completely, but he waved nervously. "Someone call for a Taxi?" He joked weakly.

Jazz leaned against the door, optic ridge tipped up under his visor. "How long 'ave ah known or how long 'avve ah been standin' here?"

"Both?"

"Long enough to know that your little ones are half Seeker." Jazz said with a grin. "Command's known for a little while, I've known longer...and watched."

"And you have done nothing." Starscream stated, incredulous. "Two of your better warriors being courted by the fragging Decepticon SIC and his trine, and this was _okay_? What kind of outfit are you running?" Star knew his reaction was likely a bit over the top, but he was tired of hiding and this could be his chance.

"A what?" Thundercracker asked Skyfire, unsure what the mech meant. His large...very large...white form took up much of the doorway, and TC stood in between Skyfire and Sunstreaker defiantly. "I won't hand him over. Slag. Off." His tone was low and his optics were bright.

Skywarp just held on more tightly, closing his panel under Sideswipe. "We're so dead. Dead and _rusted_. Like, Negavator'd. Smashed. At least I had a good frag before my execution-"

"Skywarp, shut _up_."

Sideswipe's helm snapped up from Skywarp's shoulder to stare incredulously at his superior. The same questions Starscream had asked were swirling in his mind and his mouth opened and shut several times before he managed, "_Why_!"

Jazz's visor flashed with his grin. "Ain't the place ta explain, Siders."

"I was not asking you to." Skyfire assured, optic ridges raised high. "But, if you'd come out and join us..."

Jazz just shook his head. "Come back to the Ark with us. It'll be explained there. Seekers, too. We wouldn't _dream_ of keeping you away from your mates."

Starscream opened his mouth to contradict that statement, but then wisely closed it; perhaps it would go better on them if they thought they'd all bonded.

"Not movin' till you tell me I'm _not_, and Star and TC and the twins, are _not_, getting locked up." Skywarp said firmly, his face set. "Not worth it to put a carrier in the brig, and Seekers can go crazy in little spaces."

TC frowned. "If you try anything untoward, you _will_ live to regret it." he said, motioning for Sunstreaker. He turned to speak to his lover. "Sunstreaker. Come with me. Nothing will happen as long as I am functional...I do not care _how_ large this one is." He wasn't sure of the shuttleformer's name; Sky-something, he thought.

Skyfire held his arms up to placate the Seeker, moving out of the doorway to leave them room to get through. He supposed trapping the more volatile of the brothers in such a situation was not the smartest thing to do, but it was already done now, no turning back.

Sunstreaker eyed Skyfire warily as he approached the door, his fingers twitching to fight his way out of this situation. He remained tense, optics watching and noting every change in position.

Sideswipe grumbled and pulled off of Skywarp reluctantly, hyper aware of the mess he had on his abdomen, hand and thighs. Normally, he wouldn't have minded. Right now though... They were so fragging screwed. His chest plating closed up on the sparklets, who swirled around their carrier's spark contently now that they had energies from their sires.

Thundercracker swept past the shuttleformer into the main room, only to see Jazz, who he at least knew of, facing off with Starscream. He raised a single optic ridge. "Is there a problem?" he asked his trineleader. His garnet optics lit upon Sideswipe, and protective Seeker instinct rose up in him at about the same time as the others.

"You're distressing him, can't you see that?" Starscream said, jabbing a finger at Sides. Skywarp nodded in agreement, his lips set in an uncharacteristic frown. "If you hurt my winglet..." he said lowly, wings flaring out protectively. Starscream glowered.

"Hold, Starscream." Skyfire addressed the Seeker. "We intend _no_ _harm_ to you or the twins. We want to take you back to the Ark so we can discuss things in a safe place. This is...a hideout. Not a home. This is no place for winglets to learn to fly." he noted. "If you care about them, then I know you will come. I would never lie to you, Star." His crystal-blue optics never left Starscream's face.

Starscream finally nodded. Skyfire had _never_ lied to him, not to spare his feelings, nothing.

Sunstreaker moved across the room to aid his brother, giving Jazz a glare that spoke of pain and not a little fear. Jazz returned it coolly, hands held up and open. A gesture of no harm. Sunstreaker's optics narrowed, but he grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him to the door, optics never leaving Jazz.

The Seekers, for their part, followed Starscream; they trusted him now if not before, trusted that he would not lead them into someplace that would be detrimental to their safety and survival. Starscream frowned when Skyfire informed them that they'd be traveling back _in_ him; he'd _never_ liked flight while trapped in another mech, and he opened his mouth to say so...and then noted the exhaustion in Sideswipe's optics, the slowness of his movements. He just nodded, tired himself...though most of it was emotional, not physical.

Thundercracker stayed near Sunstreaker at all times, never moving more than a meter away. He watched to ensure that Sunstreaker did not think this smothering, but he felt Sunny needed the comfort in this unfamiliar situation. He glowered at Jazz each time the mech tried to speak to him, keeping his words simple and conversations short. Skyfire did not speak, as his mind was on the trip and maintaining proper speed in atmosphere.

Skywarp was being Skywarp; he explored Skyfire's interior to the extent allowed, which was quite a bit due to the fact that Skyfire himself could monitor his access. Jazz just watched the black and violet Seeker with amusement...he seemed awfully young...

Skyfire addressed them all by internal comm: "The Ark is just ahead, landing in ninety seconds. Skywarp, hang on. All others remain still." And then he began the dive that would land them near the hangar. Several mechs stood outside, waiting. One was large, red and cobalt blue. The other smaller and red and white. The last, a black and white patrol car.

That announcement had Sideswipe tensing almost more than his brother beside him who had remained quiet the entire time. Now they had to go face the consequences of their actions. And he found that he didn't regret them. Not one microsecond did he regret at all.

Sunstreaker was of a similar opinion and he transmitted it to his brother, touching their shoulders together gently. He was here and he'd be fragged if he let anyone lay a servo on his brother. He tensed further when Skyfire landed with a thump and hiss of hydraulics and then Jazz was motioning them to exit first. And there would be no use in arguing about it either as evening set in.

When they came down the ramp and saw their Commanding Officer, Ratchet _and_ Prowl standing there, Sideswipe found himself pleased that he'd been allowed to wash up first. He expected a reading of his rights as soon as he stepped off. What he had _not_ been expecting was the familiar dull clang of a wrench colliding with his helm, albeit far more gently than it ever had before.

Heh, old mech _did_ have a soft spot.

"There are _reasons_..." Ratchet hissed, optics narrowed into irritated slits. "That doctors tell you to do certain things. Taking off on your own while _carrying_ for your _first_ _time_ is one of the very things I told you _not_ to do you glitch addled fragger!"

Starscream took the lead when he saw Optimus Prime standing there. He composed himself, face settling into an expression of dignity and determination. His trinemates stood behind him, in their flight positions, just as trines had grouped themselves since the first Seekers had bonded themselves together as a trine. Thundercracker on the right, as Second, and Skywarp on the left, as Third.

Starscream inclined his head in a gesture of respect and stood, unlatching his weaponry...and it was then that he realized that Jazz had not taken it, he had not disarmed the Seekers in any way. He disarmed himself, though, as a symbol. *Actions can speak louder than words.* he thought, and then he spoke.

"Prime, my trine and I request...request asylum with your faction. We have left the Decepticons as of five Earth weeks ago, and have had only a single contact with the faction since. There are reasons why we request this." Starscream devoutly hoped that he wouldn't have to go into these reasons right here, in front of everyone.

Thundercracker and Skywarp remained silent, as was their place during this meeting; Starscream spoke for the trine.

Prowl's optics narrowed at this admission. "Your words are the correct ones; the Autobots do in fact give asylum, even to former Decepticons, when there is just cause to do so. What are your reasons, Starscream? There can be no secrets, for you know that we cannot trust you until we _know_ that you are, indeed, sincere."

Skyfire had transformed and he just glanced at Prowl. *_Trust _him_ to go there..._* he thought, shaking his head.

Prime remained silent for a moment as well, considering Starscream's words carefully. Finally, he spoke. "I wish to hear Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's rationale, and reasoning here."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker both flinched but before anything could be spoken, Ratchet interjected.

"And as Fragging CMO, I say not out here in the open." The red and white mech growled. "It's stressing him. We'll use one of the IC rooms. I want check them - yes, you too Sunstreaker," The golden twin's scowl was firmly ignored. "over while you do this."

Prime nodded and motioned that they go ahead. "Red Alert will keep the hallways clear for us."

Some of the tension left Sideswipe at hearing that. He didn't want to think what marching through the halls for everyone to see would be like.

Starscream nodded once, agreeing with this. He led his trine through the clear hallways, making sure that Sideswipe _and_ Sunny were both all right as best he could, with a glance. He hadn't touched him since they had arrived here, not for comfort, not for anything, primarily because he did not wish to complicate matters further with giving Prime and especially Prowl the facts about their relationship. Having been caught sparkmerging by Skyfire and Jazz was bad enough.

Thundercracker's optics widened at his first look at the Autobot base; he'd never been farther than the brig, and never there for long. The bright orange paint nearly hurt him to look at, and his lips twisted into a curl at the size of the hallways. They were wide enough for Seekers, roomy enough for flyers. A good place for Sides' newsparks? He didn't know.

Skywarp's optics roved everywhere at once. He longed to explore this place, but figured he would never get the chance to do so, not with Prowl eyeing him that way. He carried Starscream's null rays in one hand; Star had forgotten them on the ground, which was rather strange for him. Starscream never left his weapons _anywhere_.

The medbay was just ahead, and Prime and Prowl entered ahead of the trine. Skyfire and Jazz shook their heads, with Jazz remarking that he'd done his bit, and Skyfire had too.

Skyfire was relieved, anyway; he had agreed to meet with Silverbolt later that cycle and did not want to disappoint him by being late. They were going for a walk, strangely enough...Skyfire had no desire to aggravate his partner's fear of heights.

It seemed too soon that Sideswipe was up on the medberth with Ratchet and his scanners doing their business. He fidgeted, optics anywhere but on his superiors, mostly on his lovers. Sunstreaker stood beside Thundercracker, arms crossed and attempting an air of being bored.

"Very well, Ratchet, your requirements have been met." Optimus said, turning to observe the Twins. "I would like to hear your reasoning for this Sunstreaker, Sideswipe."

Sideswipe winced and shrugged, earning him a sharp reprimand from Ratchet. Sunstreaker's lips pressed together. It was silent for several moments, almost as if there wasn't going to be an answer before Sideswipe said,

"It kinda just... happened."

Ratchet just glared. "It does not just _happen_ that you frag Seekers. It doesn't just fall in from nowhere." he said acerbically. "There's a lot of movement and agreeing to things involved, and you have to share spark to get sparked. And that slag about Sunny being the sire? Hah." He folded his arms across the glass on his chest.

Starscream glared at the medic. "It was completely consensual, I assure you." He very carefully does not mention the time he cuffed Sunstreaker to a tree and began molesting him. That had turned _out_ consensual, but the beginning? That was iffy.

Skywarp was walking arounbd medbay somewhat aimlessly, and he picked up a piece of equipmet. Faster than anyone thought possible, a wrench came flying across the room, hitting Skywarp directly in the helm. "Hands off!" Ratchet called.

"Owww what the _frag_! He's fragging _violent_!" Skywarp whined.

The quiet presence of Thundercracker stayed near Sunstreaker, lending his emotional support as best he could.

"Er, what I meant was it kinda started out just happening..." Sideswipe tried to clarify but Primus he was bad at this.

And as if to prove Primus hated him, Prime said, "I'm sorry, I don't quite follow."

"Uh, that is to say, um, first time was during battle and we were kinda trapped in a cave together and I think something made Stars overheat and it seemed to kinda mess with his processor a bit, but he was just there and Primus it was so good at the time we didn't stop to think and then Sunny was there and it just got _better_ and-"

"You're babbling, Sideswipe." Sunstreaker cut in.

Sideswipe's mouth snapped shut with an audible snap. Ratchet had ignored Skywarp as had the others, still focused on Sideswipe and his new sparks.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "Perhaps too much detail that I _didn't_ need to know but I'll let that go this time. What possessed you two to think that having a _relationship_ with the slagging command trine of the 'Cons was a good idea?"

Starscream interrupted. "I care about him." He jerked his thumb at Sideswipe. "I don't give a two-credit frag if you believe me or not, but to me, he is not just a cheap frag. He convinced me to leave the slagging 'Cons, which has been the best thing I've done in a _long_ time. I don't wake up with headaches anymore, no more medbay, no more pain..." Starscream stopped, not wanting to give away too much detail all at once. "Suffice it to say that I intend to _be_ _there_ for my winglet, and Skywarp will too."

Skywarp nodded firmly. "My winglet. Take him from me and I will _hurt_ you. You got no rights to."

Prowl glanced at the teleporter. "If we judge you a threat to the Autobot cause you will be imprisoned. It is that simple."

"I would not, were I you. Skywarp is difficult to hold in the best of times." Thundercracker warned, his optics flaring. He disliked Prowl intensely already.

Sideswipe tensed and Ratchet growled, shooting a glare at Prowl. "If you're going to get into a discussion of consequences at this very moment, you can very well get out. I will _not_ have you upsetting Sideswipe's condition in such a delicate phase of his carrying period."

Optimus held his hand up to stem any further argument. "It is not our intention to take them from you Skywarp." He said seriously. "Had it been, we would have prevented this before it happened. We've known for quite some time now. I just wanted to know how it began."

Prime wasn't stupid. He knew for a relationship to be had there had to be a connection on a personal level and Sideswipe and Starscream had connected that first time somehow even if they didn't even know why.

"So why not bust us after that first time?" Sunstreaker wanted to know.

"We were unaware of when this began." Prowl said flatly, optics disapproving. "However, Jazz had discerned it as no threat and suggested a way to improve a likelihood of this conflict ending sooner rather than later."

"Conflict? You think that our relationships will end this war?" Starscream said incredulously. "Megatron wants us cold and _deactivated_, I am certain. The only other Decepticon we have been contacted by has said nothing, for his own reasons." Starscream would deactivate himself before telling who; Soundwave had covered for them, quite obviously.

"Ol' Bucket Head is likely missing his favorite toys." Skywarp said drolly, not thinking.

Starscream glared sharply at Skywarp. Skywarp wisely shut his mouth.

"What do you mean, favorite toys?" Ratchet pounced on this information.

Starscream said nothing and willed his trine to do the same; they caught his nervousness and dismay through their weak empathic link and stayed silent.

"I _can_ compel you to answer." Prowl shot out.

"That's it. Prowl, get the frag out of my medbay. You can interrogate people after my scans are done. I need to check each and every one of them, the twins and the trine, for viruses, hidden damage, and whatnot...so your presence is NOT required or even desired. _**OUT**_." Ratchet glared until Prime nodded his assent, and Prowl turned and left medbay without a word.

Sideswipe watched Prowl leave with a nervous air. Slag was going to his the fan later, he just knew it. "Uh, if I can, Sir, what did Prowl mean?"

Optimus seemed to consider them for a moment and they all watched him just as intently. "We have been looking for a way to weaken Megaton's aerial support since that is where he has us trumped, to borrow a human term. We know that the Seekers follow Starscream. Very few of us know the reasons why, but they are there. If Starscream formed an attachment to you..." He trailed off. "It was a long shot."

Sideswipe stared at his Prime, feelings becoming mixed. He didn't even realize Ratchet was done until the medic was pushing him from the berth and motioning to Sunstreaker who took his place reluctantly. Sideswipe joined Starscream.

"You were _using_ us. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Starscream said somewhat bitterly, though his tone was nowhere near as acidic as it could be. "So, you want _me_ to attempt to lure the Seekers out of the Decepticon army? This is not as easy as you would think. Vos is _gone_. My title is just that, words." His optics looked bleak at the mention of his beloved city, long reduced to dust. "Acid Storm's trine resides on Cybertron, as do the Seekers that he commands...including Sunstorm. I do not know if he has managed to stabilize."

Starscream twitched his wings, pacing a bit as he was wont to do when contemplating a problem. "We have left. We are not returning. I don't know if we will aid you in battle yet-"

At this Ratchet narrowed his optics, stopping his scans on Sunstreaker abruptly. "Not fight? You're war machines!"

"No, we are Seekers." Thundercracker corrected.

"There is a difference, Ratch." Sideswipe didn't flinch when Ratchet turned his glare on him. "There is."

He'd felt it. Known it all along really. He and his brother had been gladiators. Built and upgraded to fight, but they didn't _live_ for it or _crave_ it. It was just a means to an end. It was that facing off against them and thinking they lived for nothing but death and destruction had been easier than coming to terms with the fact they were killing off their fellow Cybertronians.

Ratchet ignored this for a moment, fiddling with some dials on his scanner. He slapped it twice, and snorted very loudly. Then he got up to get a new scanner, apparently believing that the one he held was malfunctioning.

Thundercracker watched this with interest, hoping that nothing was _wrong_ with Sunny. That what he'd done those weeks ago would not show up on a scan, would not indicate that he'd been too rough with Sunstreaker. Skywarp smiled at Starscream as he finally sat down on a berth that *_cheeped_* at him when he ran a hand over the panel. So, he began to amuse himself with it. This medical slag bored him, though this medbay was a lot quieter than Hook's. Less spare parts in bins, too, even if Hook's were meticulously organized.

Ratchet returned with his new, freshly charged scanner, and ran it across Sunstreaker, nodding his head at what he saw. He then looked up.

"Congratulations. One of you Seekers hit the jackpot; Sunny here is knocked up too."

There was silence, every helm turned to look at the wide optic'd frontliner who was staring at Ratchet as if waiting for the punchline. When nothing came, he opened his mouth to _demand_ the punchline but all that came out was a staticky burst of surprise before he was slumping forwards in a dead faint.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you so very much for the reviews; it seems as though readers prefer if we try to keep the POVs separated, so we are going to do just that. Again, we appreciate the input and feedback from every one of your who sends a review._

_Warnings for this chapter: Sticky, spark, bondage, mpreg, and some story!_

_Disclaimer: Not ours. But we want it! _

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><p>Sunstreaker continued to stare at the wall in shock. Both Optimus and Ratchet had left the room some time ago, to give them privacy and for the news to sink in. Sideswipe was sitting beside him, his worry and fear over his brother's dead faint kliks ago wearing off in the face of the wonderful. And he was babbling away...<p>

Yup, definitely spending too much time around Bluestreak.

"And this is _great,_ Sunny! Who would have thought _we_ would be carriers... Or even having children!" Sideswipe was blissfully and purposefully oblivious to his brother's disbelieving and numb state.

Starscream stood away, just a bit to the side with a quiet smile on his face. Skywarp was teasing a very shocked Thundercracker, who finally just told Warp, "Please go away for just a klik."

Skywarp wasn't even offended; he nodded and went back to Starscream and began laughing quietly.

Thundercracker looked almost as stunned as Sunstreaker did, though the odd smile on his face made it clear that he was not _upset_, just that...he didn't expect it. Not him. He'd always thought he would be solitary, with that solitude divided by occasional partners, or his trinemates. Not to be a coder, not to be happy...the way he was now.

"And can you imagine what the rest of the crew is going to s- HEY!" Sideswipe dodged the blow, pouting at his brother. "What?"

Sunstreaker glowered darkly at him. He didn't even want to _think_ what the crew would do! They were in enough trouble as it was, so he knew he couldn't make new minibot sized holes in the wall no matter how much he wanted to... "Frag you."

"Nope. But somebody sure fragged _you_!" Sideswipe grinned.

Oooh, he was just _looking_ for a beating!

"Sideswipe." Thundercracker glared at his lover's twin. "That is _remarkably_ insensitive of you." Garnet optics simply stared through the red mech as Starscream pursed his lips, wanting to tell TC to stay the frag out of it but deciding not to because the mech was _right_. Skywarp, on the other hand...

"Sure did, and good, too! I always thought TeeCee here was shootin' blanks-"

This time, it was _Skywarp_ who had to dodge a blow. The black and violet Seeker gave his trinemate a dirty look.

Thundercracker looked to Sunstreaker. "Would you care to know _my_ thoughts on this?"

Sideswipe pouted, but backed off, slumping just slightly. He had only been trying to lighten the mood, and to break through the wall his brother had put up, blocking himself off after having woken up from his faint. He stared sullenly at the wall his brother had returned to staring at.

Sunstreaker just grunted, arms crossed tightly over his chest and thin lips pressed thinner.

"Why do you react this way, Sunstreaker?" Thundercracker asked. "I am...happy. I am surprised, yes, but I feel that you will be an excellent carrier, as well as a warrior, and my partner...if you will have me. I know that bonding is impossible, but I will stay by your side for as long as you wish it."

Skywarp made soft, very quiet gagging noises at all the sap that TC was spewing, but Starscream elbowed him sharply in the side. Star himself liked that, he thought that TC's promises were...sweet. Something he himself would love to hear from one he cared for...and it was very, very obvious that Sunny cared for the dark blue Seeker.

"Please don't shut yourself away from me." Thundercracker implored almost silently.

Sunstreaker found himself fighting to stay hard against the words. His lips press thinner and his back stiffer. He... really isn't sure how he feels about this. He'd never imagined himself having kids, let alone being the carrier! Frag, TC might think he could do it, but he was certain he _couldn't_! He wasn't _wired_ this way! Not meant to be soft and gentle and all around loving and... And he was frelling terrified. Was this what Sideswipe had been feeling when he'd found out? No. No, Sideswipe had taken it more in stride. He knew that, had felt it in their bond.

Sideswipe, while still sulking, could feel the bond breaking down a little and some of his brother's whirlwind emotions leak through. If Sideswipe's problem was that he didn't think enough then Sunstreaker's was he thought too _much_.

He frowned and on a private comm sent to Thundercracker,_ ::He's freaking out, mech... Do something before he falls apart and hits something.::_

: _::I am _trying_, but if I touch him, it may make matters worse. i will not allow him to harm himself, though, even at the expense of me.::_ Thundercracker comms back, optics focused on Sunstreaker. He reaches out, a single hand.

That hand gently and slowly touched Sunstreaker on his overly tense shoulders, rubbing to try to calm him. No words were spoken then, not at that moment- TC new that Sunny had heard all that he'd said, and he needed to make the choice. His spark whirled within his chest, wanting so badly to reach out to his lover, but knowing that now is not the place, the time was not the right time.

The other two Seekers stood, feeling helpless to do a thing. They did not have a rapport with Sunstreaker the way Thundercracker did, not in the least. Starscream did, but that was tenuous at best, and probably not what he needed right now.

"Go to him, Sides." Starscream whispered. "Your brother needs you."

Sideswipe shook his helm. "S'not me he needs right now. He's being stubborn and unfortunately, we feed off of that when it comes to each other. Always have."

_::TC, you gotta start being firm. He's not gonna break. Trust me. He knows your happy, but he needs to get that he's not doing this on his own... And he's not gonna listen to me.::_

Thundercracker glanced over at Sideswipe, and gave him a short nod. He stood in front of the golden warrior, taking his hands in his own and looking him directly in the optics.

"Listen to me. Listen to what I say. _You are not alone_. You can do this, I am here to help you with this. I will not abandon you or _our_ little one as you and your brother were abandoned. I would go through Unicron's Pit just to see you smile again, and I would battle with Primus himself if I could make you believe that what I say is true." Thundercracker's low, soft tones almost shook with emotion, and he had forgotten about the others in the room. "When I said that you were mine, I meant it, Sunstreaker. And I do not give up on what is mine very easily at all."

Those others stood there with their mouths wide open, never expecting to hear such words from their stoic and silent trinemate. Even Skywarp remained perfectly silent, not wanting to ruin the moment. Starscream found himself holding his breath, hoping against hope that Thundercracker could make Sunny believe...pit, Starscream would believe, after hearing that.

The tense silence stretches for several nervewracking moments before Sideswipe visibly relaxes just as Sunstreaker snorts and his helm falls forward to rest on Thundercracker's shoulder with a quiet clang. "You're a sap."

Sideswipe grinned widely, a little awed at how quickly that situation got settled. Well, as settled until some slagger opened their mouth to antagonize Sunstreaker. He was betting Cliffjumper or Gears to be honest.

"Yes. I am. Only for you." Thundercracker admitted, daring his trine to say a single word. He wrapped his arms around Sunstreaker and held him close for a little while, his spark feeling as if it would burst forth from his chest plating in happiness.

Skywarp rolled his optics and nudged Sideswipe. "He all better now?"

Starscream looked at the door. "I suppose they will be back in soon. To tell us our fates." He looked a bit worried; he didn't know what to expect from the Autobot command, and that SIC seemed to dislike them intensely. Starscream really couldn't blame him all that much, either. They had done horrible things over the vorns.

But now they wanted to change.

"Frag." Sunstreaker groaned, still not thrilled about it, but unwilling to consider... termination. "Just... frag."

Sideswipe's grin is an easy one. "Yup. The only thing endangered now is his reputation and ego."

And just then the door opened once more, Jazz strolling in along with Optimus, Prowl, Ironhide and Ratchet. The twins tensed again, neither missing the way Sideswipe had moved close to Skywarp and Starscream or the embrace Thundercracker still had Sunstreaker in. The golden warrior looked decidedly embarrassed to be caught as such.

"I am afraid that we will have to cut your time to adjust short." Optimus said and there was a note of genuine remorse in his apology. "But we have come to a decision and while not all are happy with it..." Here he shot a small glare at a grumbling Ironhide and a stoic Prowl. " We feel it's the best solution for both yours and the sparklings' futures."

Starscream puts himself in front of the other two Seekers and nodded once. "Tell me what your decision is." he said in a calm tone, a tone that belied his nervousness. Skywarp fidgeted behind him, unable to hold still with all the brass in the room, and Thundercraker's optics bored holes through Prowl, and he held on to Sunstreaker's hands even as he released him from the embrace.

"You will be allowed to stay here." Prime finally said, a look of resignation in his optics. "Yet you _were_ the command trine of the Decepticon army, and have perpetrated many war crimes against some of the mechs that stand here before you. Skywarp and Thundercracker at least have the excuse that they were ordered into it; you, Starscream, were the commander of the air forces and second only to Megatron himself."

Starscream nodded, steeling himself for the worst.

"We shall not confine you, for we realize that it would be difficult, if not impossible for you to prove yourselves trustworthy from the inside of a cell. You will be fitted with constant monitors...and a killswitch." Prime finished, his tone somewhat disgusted at the last.

Thundercraker's optics blazed. "You would have a zealot end us because you wish to control us?"

"Thundercracker!" Starscream said sharply. "Control yourself!" His gaze turned to Prime. "And who would be in charge of the activation of said switch, Prime?"

Prime ignored both twins' enraged protestations at the comment and didn't answer with words, instead turning his helm down and to his left to look at Jazz who waved in a disturbingly cheerful manner.

"Tha' would be meh."

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe both quieted and returned Ironhide's glare at them. Daring him to say one word. Ratchet elbowed him hard and he grunted, looking away.

Starscream's piercing crimson gaze fell upon Jazz. "You will _never_ have to use that thing."

"Ah hope not." was the only thing that Jazz said, his expression entirely serious with this.

"What other restrictions shall be placed upon us, Prime?" Starscream said in an almost bored tone. They were going to be free, yet imprisoned nonetheless. the next thing he expected to hear was that they would be forcibly separated from the twins, and _that_ was one thing that Starscream would _not_ stand for under any circumstances.

"We shall discuss the twins' punishment for fraternization with the enemy, first." Prowl said, before Prime cut him off with a quelling glance.

"Punishment. When you used it to get to us? Really Prime, how _right_ _and_ _just_ is that?" Starscream challenged.

"There are still the first two incidents that led to this that we were unaware of. Those were Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's choices and will be addressed as such." Both warriors tensed, Sunstreaker standing, defiant and Sideswipe moving to his brother's side. "However, in light of circumstances and Jazz's and Mirage's affirmations that no information was passed onto you as well as the fact that neither Sideswipe nor Sunstreaker are privy to such information to begin with, they will _personally_ see to your assimilation here as well as report to Ratchet on time with no complaints when he calls for them."

Optimus Prime was completely calm as he delivered this. His optics locked with Starscream's. "At the end of this period, if I deem it necessary... and I sincerely hope I have no reason to... harsher punishments may be forthcoming." His optics glinted and his mask snapped aside to show the absolute sincerity on his proud face. "I would never leave a sparkling without it's genitors."

Starscream's lips pursed. "Then don't put a slagging kill switch on my trine. That is far too dangerous. Someone could theoretically gain control of the triggering device and your promise would be nothing more than dust."

Skywarp looked terrified, and only a slight bit older than a youngling himself with that look on his face and in his optics. He stood as close to Starscream and Sideswipe as he could, his wings betraying his nerves.

Thundercracker just looked furious.

"S'why ah have it mech." Jazz grinned. "Ya think ah'm gonna let a bunch of shortsighted mechs-" Ratchet elbowed Ironhide here again who was now in a glaring contest with Thundercracker. "-ruin this for us? Not a chance, mech. S'too important. But ya _are_ high risk. Jus' cause the Twins have been berthin' ya and carryin' yer sparklins doesn't make ya believable. And ah have it wired so that ONLY the switch works. Ya can't manually set 'em off. Well, Ratch could, but ah seriously doubt he will... Not after that very loud very _long_ lecture he gave while you were gettin' the warm fuzzies in here."

Ratchet turned his glare on the saboteur, unamused and Jazz held up his hands placatingly.

Optimus stepped in again before he lost control of things. "I promise to you on the Matrix and my spark as Prime that as soon as we can find you trustworthy, they will come right off."

"What do we have to do to become...trusted?" Thundercracker asked, ignoring Starscream for the moment.

"Do not be violent toward the crew. Don't betray our trust to the Decepticons. Do _right_." Prime said patiently.

"We aren't just fragging them." Skywarp said, finally speaking. "We care, slaggit. Whether you believe it or not." His wings flared protectively, a motion that was answered by both Starscream and TC.

"We have no choice but to agree." Starscream said, addressing his trine and their lovers. "We will not return to the Nemesis, and we cannot long survive oout in the world. We may remain neutral on the Ark, under the custody of our loved ones- and the strictures of a murder switch held by the TIC- but as long as we continue as we have, nothing ill will occur." He turns to Prime again. "I sincerely hope that you don't expect me to stand there and smile if one of your crew decides to get nasty."

Ratchet snorted. "Keep your programming in check, Starscream. Nobody will harm the carriers or they will answer to _me_."

"And what if someone is nasty to them?" Sunstreaker demanded. "What if someone gives them slag?"

"Then they will answer to me. Self-protection I can understand but the ideal situation is that you walk away and come straight to me to report it." Optimus said firmly. "Red Alert will be monitoring you as well to confirm anything. If you truly wish to change, if we can truly count you among our allies, then you will do this to the best of your abilities. We will have a united Cybertron again. This war has gone on long enough, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes." Starscream admitted, and surprisingly, his trinemates nodded their heads as well.

"Ratchet will be fitting you with the required devices, and Jazz will escort you to your new quarters." Prime said. "Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, you will be moving in with the trine, so as to perform your duties adequately. Ratchet informs me that your normal schedules can be maintained as your systems permits, but you are forbidden to go into battle unless it is to defend yourself. I will not risk your sparklings." Prime insisted.

Sideswipe scuffed his feet on the ground as their lovers were escorted into the main bay to get the procedure over with. Sunstreaker watched after them, trying desperately not to look like he was looking for comfort when he bumped shoulders with his brother.

"This is what the switch looks like." Ratchet held it up so that they could see. 'I'm explaining this to you in case of an emergency. I'll be attatching it to the inside of your chassis, behind you sparkchambers so as not to cause any interference with any of your other systems. Removal without a medics help is not possible. However, attempting to will stun your circuits for a few breems. Nothing damaging, your frame will just go into stasis lock." He sighed, as if a great weight had been placed upon him. "Wishing there was another way as much as any of you. don't need to be a pitfragged mind reader to know what you have is serious." He waved Starscream forward. "Let's get this over with."

Starscream sat down and looked at the others, shrugging. "How do you need me to present myself for this?"

"Lie down on your front, I will access what I need from your back plating." Ratchet said calmly.

Starscream silently lay on his front, the slight twitch of his wings betraying his ambivalence about allowing this. One little thing, and they were gone. Never to see their little ones, never to hold Sides again...to see Warp's smile... Starscream gasped, and it had nothing to do with the pain of the procedure. It was the general pain of constant mistrust, and it was then that he decided he didn't want that anymore.

"Get it over with." he nearly growled, and Skywarp moved closer, to comfort his trinemate.

When Ratchet opened Starscream's backplate to peer at his inner workings, the medic gasped, then swore colorfully in several different dialects. "What _happened_ to you?" he demanded to know.

Starscream's optics met Ratchet's and he remained silent.

Ratchet swore again and marched over to Skywarp, opening his back panels as well and then to Thundercracker. When he pulled away, his faceplates were contorted with rage. _::Wheeljack! I want you in here, now!::_

"Alright. Each of you on a berth. Now."

The Seekers look at each other with a small amount of dread, and each nods their head, remaining utterly silent. They do as ordered, though, climbing onto the berths and lying down. There was no use in trying to hide the evidence, but they damned sure wouldn't tell.

Wheeljack came as quick as he could, and he entered medbay with a curious expression in his optics, his helm-fins flashing oddly. "'S wrong, Ratch? Seekers, yeah, but where's the fire?" He looks at each one of the fliers lying face-down on the berths, and then at The twins, and received no answers.

"First Aid!" Ratchet hollered, ignoring Wheeljack for the moment as his assistant and junior medic came scurrying out of his office. "Prep these replacement parts and get me a cleansing solution ready. A strong one." Finally he turns to Wheeljack. "We have corrosion. It's widespread but hasn't eaten through any alloys yet. Also, we have three replacements for inner hinges needed, which luckily we have in stock because a certain flier can't seem to keep things out of his wings."

Wheeljack looked shocked. Corrosion? It took poor maintenance to bring about corrosion. And repeated exposure to unhealthy environments on protoform deep circuits and-

And this was Megatron and the Seekers they were talking about.

Wheeljack immediately went to sanitize his hands and tools.

Starscream looked digusted with himself and with the situation as they worked on his, for far longer than was originally intended. Thundercracker was uncomfortable at the strange touches, not liking it at all, yet Skywarp had fallen into an uneasy recharge while lying down. Starscream couldn't, though. He kept thinking.

What did Ratchet think of him, of _them_, after seeing this damage? The general disrepair? The obvious attempts at patching injuries that should have neveer been caused?

He felt he had to say something, at least on behalf of his trinemates, if nothing else. "We didn't...they didn't, rather- it was my fault, Ratchet. So do not take it out on them." Starscream's voice was quiet, and he ignored the glare from his blue trinemate, along with the internal comm..._ ::Stasrcream, what the slag. It is not your fault, it is _his_.::_

Ratchet paused in his work, frame fairly vibrating with rage. But not at the Seekers. He placed a hand on the top of Starscream's helm, feeling the Seeker shiver under his touch. "Starscream, I am not angry at you." He said quite firmly. "However. Next time I see Hook, I will let him know _exactly_ what I think of his medical skills." His voice had turned into a dark promise.

Sideswipe's optics were locked on his lovers just as Sunstreaker was focused with laser clarity on Thundercracker.

"Not if we get to him and Mega-aft first." Sideswipe growled, an aggressive rev from his brother echoing the statement.

"It wasn't just that. Hook did what he could." Starscream said slowly. "You can only fix so much." And he left it there, clamping his lips shut against further questions, and actually offlining his optics.

Skywarp looked at his trineleader, looking quite guilty about something. He lay there quietly, not saying a word himself.

"You will not go after him until it is time." Thundercracker said. "And now is not it."

"Or anytime soon, not until you're actually whole and healthy. If you three are this fragged up, I would have hated to fight against you at full strength." Ratchet said drily, wiping fluids away from Starscream's open backplate. "I suggest you all rest; this is gonna take awhile and I need you to hold still. Sunstreaker, Sideswipe...leave for a short while, get some rations." Ratchet suggested.

"No." Sunstreaker said, moving resolutely to stand by Thundercracker's berth, Sideswipe moving to do the same only plopping himself resolutely on the floor between Starscream and Skywarp's medical berths.

"Yes." Ratchet insisted. "Is it so difficult to follow orders for once? I'm not doing anything to them that is not beneficial. You need your rations. if you feel you must, then go and come back. But you're leaving now." His tone was firm.

"It's okay." Starscream said, his optics still off. "Go ahead." The other two said nothing, either pretending to be in recharge or staring at the wall, wishing this was all over with.

Sideswipe hesitated and stood back up. "You're sure...?" He asked softly.

Starscream nodded. "Yeah. We'll be fine."

Sunstreaker's jaw set stubbornly and he glared, daring the mech to make him move. He might have slightly been terrified of facing the crew in this state as well, but he was completely unwilling to leave Thundercracker's side.

"Go on, Sunny." Thundercraker said. "I do not want to have to _tell_ you to do this, but I will if you do not. Go with your brother. Try and relax. It is not like everyone _knows_ of your condition, and even if they did, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Go for a short while then come back to me." he said, offering a small smile.

Skywarp nodded quietly. He, for some reason, wasn't saying much. Wasn't reacting much, either. It was like the Seeker was thinking. That was something Skywarp didn't do too often- he was usually very spontaneous.

Sunstreaker looked like he was about to argue, but Sideswipe's hand on his shoulder stopped him and he glared before stomping out, Sideswipe following at a much more sedate pace.

Ratchet sighed as soon as they were gone. Wheeljack's helmfins flickered and the scientist said cheerily, "Well, don't know how you did it, but you just nailed the most overprotective mechs in the army minus 'Hide."

Starscream snorted. "You have seen nothing yet, until you see a Seeker whose sparkling is threatened by another." Thundercracker nodded, and Skywarp just stayed quiet, which made Starscream look over at his younger trinemate.

"Sky? Talk to me."

"Nothin' to say, Stars. Just that I'm sorry." Skywarp said awkwardly.

"For what?" Starscream wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"You're worse off than I am, cuz...you stood between it and me. And I'm sorry." Skywarp explained.

Starscream was struck speechless.

"It is not your fault, Skywarp. It was his choice to protect you." Thundercracker said softly.

"Still." Skywarp insisted.

Ratchet sighed again and motioned that he could take care of what was left. Really, it was just soaking the corrosion off and replacing hinges. Wheeljack nodded his understanding and ushered First Aid from the room.

As soon as they were gone, Ratchet turned to the Seekers, all business. "You are really going to hate what I have to say to you, but open them up."

"No." Thundercracker said. "I will _not_." His face was set in a hard line, and he even sat up, regardless of the pain and/or status of his repairs. "You will _not_ be poking around within me, in any way, shape, form, or fashion."

Skywarp didn't know what Ratchet meant. "How? I mean, there's a lot of places to open..."

Starscream paled slightly and nodded as Thundercrcaker spoke. "I'm with him. No."

"I did say you wouldn't like it. There was half a reason other than just energon that I kicked Sunstreaker and Sideswipe out. I need to look for permanent damage. You do understand that if there is unhealed damage, and your sensors are numbed, that you are physically making it possible to be unable to use your valves in the future?" Ratchet could already sense that tippy-toeing around this would honestly just insult them, even as uncomfortable with this topic as he was himself. "And eventually that will be known to Sunny and Sides. I figured that would be the last thing you'd want to tell them, that your ability to be physically intimate in all ways is made worse by them. Has probably already been _made_ worse by them."

Starscream glared. "That is-"

"Probably something you need looked at, Star." Skywarp's voice came through, his pretty ruby optics looking sad. "No use in lying. He can tell. And...I don't think he'll blame you." Skywarp turned to Ratchet. "I'll do it, I guess. And they _should_, cuz fraggit, I know what happened."

Thundercracker ground his dentae together and hissed. "That is a _private_ matter, Skywarp, not one you should tell to just anyone-"

"He's a slagging _medic_ who can _fix_ it." Skywarp retorted. "An' I know you like it, _now_ anyway. Don't you want to make sure that you still can?"

TC looked ashamed. Embarrassed. But he knew that Skywarp, and for that matter, Ratchet, was right.

Starscream lay on the berth, shaking his head. "I don't...I know it's not okay, all right?" He turned himself over and sighed. "Do it before I change my mind."

"I can turn off the sensors, if it makes it any easier." Ratchet said gently.

"Don't care. Just do it already. Some of them don't work anyway." Starscream said flatly.

Ratchet nodded and with a glance at his arranged tools, he got to work.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker stood in the doorway to the private medical recovery room, debating on approaching Thundercracker or not. He looked a little... on edge and if expirience had taught him anything, it was that two mechs on edge in the same room was not a good thing. He had been placed back into one of the private rooms, and Sunstreaker had come to see if everything was okay. He didn't know just what Ratchet had been on about kicking them out earlier, but he'd known the Medical Officer for vorns and knew it was for a reason.<p>

Quietly, he stepped into the room, the door whooshing shut softly behind him.

"TC?"

Thundercracker lay on the berth, his back to the doorway. His wings twitched when he heard Sunstreaker's voice, but he didn't immediately turn over. He swung his legs down and walked instead, almost rushing to get to Sunstreaker. He looked down at him, and a small smile touched his lips.

"Sunstreaker." One hand drifted across the elegant faceplate, the other pulled him close. "Stay with me." he said softly. "I would like for you to stay. I cannot leave here until 'tomorrow', Ratchet said. I believe that is next cycle. I do not...want to be alone in here." Thundercracker dearly hoped that Sunny would not see that as the weakness he believed it to be.

"Yeah. Don't like these rooms much myself." He snarked lightly, leaning into the touch. His optics were locked onto Thundercracker's face, taking in the stressed light to his brilliant crimson optics and the faltering smile.

"Everything ok?"

: Thundercracker paused. He bit back the lie that would have been automatic. He didn't want to lie to Sunstreaker. Ever. "No. It is not." he said simply, sitting on the berth. "I will tell my part; it is not for me to tell of the others'. Megatron's '_attentions_'- " and he spat that word bitterly "-damaged me. Ratchet discovered it when he went to install the devices, he discovered the old injuries and demanded examinations."

He looks at the floor, something totally uncharacteristic for him. "I did not want to show him...but I did."

"But- but Ratchet fixed it, right?"

Sunstreaker didn't like the defeated air around his lover. And he knew right then that Megatron would pay dearly. At his and Sideswipe's hands.

"He did." Thundercracker nodded. "It was still a...humiliating experience. I do not like to be touched by unfamiliar hands, and he...had to, to do the job." His own hands stroked down Sunstreaker's arms, pulling him closer. "It was fairly quick, unlike-" He didn't finish that thought; he only held on a bit more tightly. "Join me. I...want you to help me forget. So I can replace those horrible times with good ones. Will you do this for me?"

Sunstreaker didn't even hesitate, pulling Thundercracker down for a soft, but thorough kiss. "Anything you need."

He clung to Sunstreaker, lips parting under that warm attention, and his hand cupped the back of Sunny's helm to bring him deeper, closer, almost within him. Thundercracker's glossa darted out to trace those lips, much like had the first time they had been together, hot air being forced from his mouth by fans already kicked up to high.

When he broke away, he was gasping. "That is an excellent start. I believe I have forgotten my designation...will you remind me?" he purred, a small smile on his lips.

Sunstreaker snorted a laugh. "Please tell me that wasn't from a movie somewhere. I get enough of them from Sideswipe."

The quirk to his lips, however, spoke of his teasing and he pressed in again, optics offlining as his entire focus went into the next kiss and just feeling it. One hand rested on Thundercracker's cockpit, the other stroking along cables in the big mech's neck.

A soft sound came from between TC's parted lips, not quite a moan or a gasp, but the sheer _need_ in the sound was evident. His own hands wrapped around Sunstreaker's back, fingertips scraping lightly down the armor, dipping into the gaps to find the sensitive areas he knew lay beneath. He tilted his helm back, waiting for Sunstreaker's hot lips upon it, those strong artist's hands to trace patterns of desire all over his plating, his wings, everywhere. The next sound Thundercracker made _was_ a moan, a low one, vibrating deep in his torso as he captured Sunny's right hand his his own, bringing it to his lips for a kiss.

"Mine. My beautiful lover, carrier of my newspark, my mate, if you shall have me. I know we cannot bond, but...I will be yours and you mine, if you will it."

Sunstreaker's optics darkened with emotion and he swallowed to rewet his intake which suddenly seemed dry. "Mine." He said, vehement in what he was insisting. "Nobody else's." He pushed up onto Thundercracker's lap, straddling the big mech and gazing into his optics. He kissed him, "Yours." He insisted. He pulled one of TC's hands to his chestplating, the unspoken 'ours' louder than if it had been said aloud.

Thundercracker offlined his optics for a bare moment, silently cursing his insensitivity to such things. He couldn't feel or sense the little one beneath the plating, but he nodded anyway, bending to kiss Sunstreaker right over where his spark and their sparkling lay."Ours." he said, meaning it with everything that he was.

His intakes caught, harsh and intense. He gazed into those gorgeous ice-blue optics and wondered again how he'd ever caught this one, tamed him, deserved him.

"I want to make love to you." he whispered softly. "Just the way you like it. Tell me, Sunstreaker. Tell me." He followed that with a soft gasp into an audial, a sharp nip against sensitive cables. His hand still had Sunstreaker's, and his other hand drifted across and around, all down Sunny's torso and back up again. Thundercracker's optics were alight with desire and something far less definable.

"You seemed to have confused my preferences, recently." Sunstreaker said, completely serious, leaning into the light touches, reciprocating as best he could from his position. "How do you want it , TC? Cause right now I couldn't give a flying frag."

He kissed his way down a cheak seam, nipping on Thundercracker's chin and then back up to an audio. "Take me. Claim me. Make me yours." He whispered seductively, rubbing their chassis lightly together.

Thundercracker moaned loudly at these words, at the thoughts running through his meta. His fans kicked up to their maximum level and he stared at Sunstreaker, nearly purring in want. "Confused you? How is that, hm? Have I made you decide that you like taking it from me? I will _take_. I will _claim_. I will _have_ _you_, because this is where you belong." Thundercracker moved, and positioned Sunstreaker gently, pulling the golden frontliner onto his hands and knees on the berth. This made him the perfect height for the taller Thundercracker, who caressed Sunny's backt with clear intent, laying kisses upon the smooth plating.

Sunstreaker shivered. This was an entirely new position for him and he glanced over his shoulder with a cocky grin and jsut a small amount of trepidation. "Feeling like an animal are we?" He snickered.

Thundercracker laughed quietly. "No. This is most Seekers' favorite position. You see, not having wings, it may be difficult for you to see why, but..." He stroked along Sunstreaker's upper back, his shoulders, his arms- right where wings would be, were he a flier. "If you had wings, I could grab them, tease them, play with them as I took you...and the angle is divine. Let me show you."

His right hand drifted between golden thighs, from behind, his fingertips moving in gentle tapping, teasing motions that were meant to put pressure on what lay beneath. "I can also touch you while I have you this way." he murmured, lips brushing over the back of Sunstreaker's neck. "You will like this." he promised.

"I don't doubt it." Sunstreaker groaned, pushing back into the hand on his as he slowly heated up. "Always make it good, TC... Course I can't kiss you or see you like this easier."

There was a small note of disappointment in his voice, but mostly just breathy teasing meant to entice. His fingers curled into the metalomesh of the berth and arched his back to stretch his frame out long, adding a moan in for good measure. He knew how good he looked. And he was using every bit of it to his advantage.

Thundercracker gasped aloud at the sight of Sunstreaker displaying himself, so boldly in front of him. His fingers moved to the seams of Sunstreaker's panel already, wanting to touch, to feel his want. "Open." he breathed, rubbing the pads of his fingers roughly against the cover. The arch of Sunny's backstrut, the sinuous stretch ...gorgeous, simply perfect in Thundercracker's optics, and the curl of those hands in the mesh served as a reminder of how Sunny was when he lost it, writhing in pleasure at TC's touch. "You cannot see, so you shall anticipate." he whispered, glossa teasing the slats of his helm-fins one by one.

Sunstreaker moaned in pleasure, heat flashing in his circuits. He kept his panel firmly shut, however, a firm challenge and an unspoken defiance that was all Sunstreaker. Just because he was taking it, didn't mean he had to be openly needy about it.

Garnet optics flashed as Thundercracker recognized the challenge for what it was. A soft laugh escaped his vocaliser, and he said "I see, Sunstreaker. I must _work_ for it. That is fine..." His hands slid back, toward those hips, and Thundercracker ground his hot plating against Sunny's aft, a slow, wrenching movement that pressed down hard, matching the grip on his hips. Thundercracker drew back slightly and did it again. And again. And again, bending to place soft kisses on Sunstreaker's neck, tempered with sharp, claiming nips that were soothed by a soft, wet glossa. "Open to me." he said, a hint of steel in his tone.

Sunstreaker bit his bottom lip and shook his helm.

Not yet. He wasn't losing his control that quickly. No matter. How. Good. That... ooooh. Just barely managing to keep his own steely control in place, Sunstreaker hummmed as if thinking it over. "I dunno know, TC." He managed between pants and ragged gasps. "Don't really see why it's gotta be rushed."

Thundercracker's optics flashed. "You want it slow, Sunstreaker? Then that is what you will get." He stopped grinding his plating into Sunny's aft, instead parting his thighs with one of this legs, just enough so that he could lick at the plating there, a gentle lapping motion that traveled around the edges of Sunstreaker's interface paneling. His left hand drifted around to the front, where Thundercracker ran a thumb directly over where Sunstreaker's spike lay, likely already beginning to stiffen under its plating. "Slow." he breathed, hot air gusting over the heated cover. "I can do slow."

A strangled noise found it's way out of Sunstreaker's vocalizer, his panel beginning to leak with the lubricants gathered behind it. His spike pushed almost painfully against his paneling, the tip rubbing everytime he shifted. The next touch was the last bit of stimulation that snapped his panel open, fluid flooding down his thighs to drip onto the berth and pool beneath him. His spike pressurized, hot and hard and he moaned as it hit the cooler air.

Thundercracker murmured his satisfaction at Sunstreaker's quick reconsideration, though he was still determined to give the mech what he'd asked for...and take it slow. His hand grasped Sunstreaker's spike far too gently, cupping around it, barely stroking the ridges and sensors. His other hand slid a single finger inside his lover, curling it slightly to reach just the inner nodes. His glossa cleaned the fluid from Sunstreaker's thighs. Thundercracker was determined not to show his own arousal, the fact that he was two nanokliks away from just shoving his spike into his mate and riding him until the entire ship knew who he belonged to.

"TC!" Sunstreaker breathed, pushing into the exploring digit in his valve while trying to entice his lover to take his spike more firmly in hand. He wriggled, helm falling between his shoulders, giving him an upside down view of Thundercracker's work on his trembling thighs. "Harder..." He panted, servos fisting the mesh.

"You said you wanted it slow. To last." Thundercracker rumbled, continuing his slow, gentle, teasing pace. The tip of his glossa danced around Sunny's outer nodes, and his palm dragged across the head of his spike, which now twitched in his grip, oozing fluid from the top that Thundercracker used to slick his palm up, to rub a tiny bit harder. That single questing finger continued its slow plunge, circling within and brushing across every sensor it could find...until TC withdrew it and licked it clean, moaning at the taste. He replaced the finger with his lips and moaned into the wet entrance.

Sunstreaker whined, almost, but not quite, regretting his urge to be defiant. "Please, TC!" He groaned, pulling out every trick he knew. "Please. Want it, need it. I'm yours, want to always be yours! Want to feel you claiming me! Pound me, make me scream!"

"Ahhh." Thundercracker moaned, loudly. He could not resist that, he just _couldn't_. That pleading voice, so needy; the hot frame and clenching port, all _his_. Sunstreaker, begging him for it. Thundercracker's plating snapped open, and his grip grew more firm on Sunny's spike. "I cannot resist you, Sunstreaker." he purred lowly, sliding his spike slowly into the clenching heat that was Sunstreaker. The feeling was intense, just like it always was- so tight and hot, and his legs trembled with the effort to _not_ just pound him, to push through the tightness. He would _not_ hurt Sunstreaker again. "Mine, Sunny. I feel you. I need you." His movements started gently, to accustom Sunstreaker to the thick intruder that parted him.

The Autobot frontliner groaned, trying to push his hips back forcefully, wanting Thundercracker all the way in _now_. The slow stretch and the burn of the stretch was sinful torture that caught him and held him in its clutches. The mesh was beginning to rip from the force of his grip and his legs shifted restlessly. "C'mon, TC! Harder! Need you now!"

Thundercracker actually /whined/, his hands trembling upon Sunny's hips. His optics flickered with emotion, his spark whirling within him...and then the pressure around him, nearly driving him mad. He leaned further over Sunstreaker's back to whisper, "Anything for you."

And then he took those hips in his trembling hands and hilted himself, only to withdraw and do it again and again at a rapid place that sent a spike of sheer need though him. Thundercracker moaned continuously, their hipplates slamming against each other, doing as Sunstreaker had asked, no, had /pleaded/ with him to do, and he wasn't sure how long he could keep this up, how long he'd be able to hold out before he totally lost it.

"Thundercracker!" He cried, back bowing to lift his aft into each thrust. "Oooh, Tee_Ceeee_!" Each thrust pushed him forward just a little, made him rock on all fours and he shuttered his optics, just _feeling_. "Harder!"

"More?" Thundercracker whispered, his low tones shaky. "Harder, you say?" He growled lowly and snapped forward, striking Sunstreaker's innermost nodes with hard, fast, slamming movements that caused his own processor to swim, and his charge was nearly visible on his form, sweeping over his hands, his wings, his lips...everywhere. He straightened, throwing his head backward in abandon, and cried out loudly, wordlessly, a sound of need and want. He had no care of who heard, who saw. It was just them, together, here.

"Tell me!" he demanded. "Tell me how it feels, how you feel at this moment, and I will give you what you want." He grabbed Sunstreaker's spike firmly in hamd, squeezing it slightly to inhibit the overload there, thumbing the head to remove the sting from the grasp. "Tell me, Sunny." he repeated, his voice broken and barely audible over their joining.

Sunstreaker whined, hips jumping with the pressure on his spike. "_Oh_, Oh Primus!" He grunted, trying hard to form the words around the bright burning pleasure that enveloped every micron of his frame.

"It burns." He managed, panting hard, condensation dripping from his plating. "It burns, but it's _good_ and I can feel you inside me and it's almost too much, but I can't get enough and - AHH!" He whined. "I need to come TeeCee!"

Thundercracker stroked Sunstreaker gently, far too gently, and ground his hips deeply into him, his own soft whisper almost making Thundercracker himself tremble.

"I feel you as well, clenching around me, as if trying to keep me right where I am at. I feel you straining against me, and yet...I do not think that you are ready. You _want_; you do not _need_..." The slow grind continued, Thundercracker's hot lips all over Sunny's neck, nipping softly, then biting harder in some places, nearly hard enough to score the lines. His legs trembled with the effort to hold back, and he thrust almost painfully hard before returning to the circling grind, the slow stroke. He panted, hand digging into Sunstreaker's hip seams, drinking in the pure sensation.

Sunstreaker moaned, valve clenching and unclenching, hovering just on the edge of oblivion, but with Thundercracker's grip at the base of his spike, prohibiting his overload, the heat banded around his middle, adding further to the pleasurable torture. He writhed, chassis dropping to the berth so that his aft was high and his midsection low. He buried his cries in the berth, thighs trembling on the outside of Thundercracker's and sparks of sensation crackling though his sensornet. "_Please_!" He begged.

"Beautiful." Thundercracker breathed, right before he plunged in as if there were no more time, nothing but _now_. His hand stroked Sunny's spike as he drilled him into the berth, the frame itself shaking with the force of his thrusts. He felt the world fall away, his vision blanking to nothing as he felt the tingle of overload hit his sensor net in an out-of-control wave, pulling him under until he could do no more than hold on, his body moving of its own volition. Harder. Faster. Now. More. It was all of that and more, and he could do nothing, say nothing other than his lover's name, over and over in a rising tone.

Sunstreaker sobbed in pleasure, his back creating an almost completely curved arc as the heat exploded almost as soon as Thundercracker began stroking his spike. Transfluid erupted from the tip in a hard stream that splattered all over his abdomen and the berth. His valve clamped and rippled, dragging Thundercracker's spike deeper and Sunstreaker gunned his engine.

The sudden vibrations that came from a high-performance engine, combined with everything else- the gasps, sighs, desperate sounds coming from the one beneath him, the almost too-tight clench, and the explosion that coated both the berth and his hand grabbed Thundercracker and ripped control straight out of his hands. he buried himself with a broken cry, his vocaliser cutting out halfway through, and his hands clamped onto Sunny's hips almost hard enough to leave dents. He couldn't think, there wasn't enough cool air on this _planet_ to soothe his burning systems, a fan whining as if it had suddenly malfunctioned through overuse.

A sudden 'tsk' was heard from the direction of the door. "I _just_ went to all the trouble of fixing your systems, and here you are fragging them up again. I didn't think _you_ would be the problem, Thundercracker, Sunstreaker."

Ratchet stayed where he was, though, a small grin quirking his lips.

"Good show, but next time, do remember the medical restraints. They're kept on the underside of the berth for...difficult patients."

Sunstreaker's helm thunked to the berth with an embarrassed moan, Thundercracker's spike still buried in his port and still hard. He kept his face hidden even after Ratchet had left with an amused 'Ta' and tried desperately to conquer the arousal still suffusing his frame.

Thundercracker's face was unreadable, and he was struck speechless in embarrassment and the heat that _still_ ran through him. He shifted, slightly, and realized that he was still quite aroused despite his violent overload. "Perhaps I was too...overzealous and loud, Sunny." he says softly, more than a bit mortified. He couldn't help but shift again, a bit more purposefully.

"S'okay..." He'd been just as loud, if not louder in some instances. "Just..."

He waved a hand, words failing him.

"Just what?" He held Sunstreaker close, hoping that he wasn't oo bothered by the sudden intrusion. "We have already been caught doing _this_, Sunstreaker...what could possibly be worse?" TC asked, curious. He didn't know of the rumor mill onboard, or of Ratchet's discretion, or any of that.

"It's _Hatchet_!" Sunstreaker stressed, Thundercracker's grip suddenly changing the angle of the spike still buried in him and heat flashed again. He whined softly, hips shifting.

"What about him?" Thundercraker's voice dropped an octave when Sunny whined, the sound going straight to his still-needy spike. "I'd rather think about you. And possibly, just possibly...what he kindly directed me toward." Thundercracker withdrew, giving an almost disappointed hiss, and physically turned Sunstreaker over so that he could see his face. His hands grabbed Sunny', their fingers entwining. "But only if you wish to."

To be perfectly honest, Sunstreaker hadn't heard what Ratchet had said, too lost in his embarrassment. But, he could never resist the bright, passionate gleam in Thundercracker's optics. It made his tanks churn with anticipation and his valve pulse for attention. Something not even Sideswipe had been able to do. So it was with absolutely no hesitation (and just a tad bit of curiosity) that had him breathing,

"I trust you."

Thundercracker leaned over Sunstreaker and captured his lips in a passionate kiss, giving him everything he hadn't been able to due to their positioning earlier. His hand slipped under the berth while he kept his lover occupied, finding what Ratchet had talked about quite handily attached to the four corners of the bed already. Thundercracker contemplated that, and wondered how much Sunstreaker would enjoy this, and whether or not he wanted those long golden legs free to wrap around him, or the hands that would caress his wings so perfectly.

This was, as always, for Sunny, though. Thundercracker would enjoy it regardless, as long as it drew those cries, the beautiful writhing, and the pure pleasure that he transmitted through his very being. His free hand brushed briefly over Sunny's chestplate in a gesture of comfort, before he gathered up both of Sunstreaker's wrists high above his head. He held them there for a moment, still kissing him, their glossas entwined, their forms so close they were nearly one being, until TC lifted up with a playful smile on his lips, and began binding Sunny to the berth by the wrists.

Sunstreaker's vents hitched in surprised arousal. This was new for him too and his helm tipped back to watch Thundercracker secure the retraints. When his lover pulled back, he tugged experimentally at his wrists, finding them to be quite secured and his gaze turned to the Seeker's faceplates, optics darkened with lust as his lips turned up in a smile that should be branded as temptation incarnate.

"Going to ravish me, Thundercracker?" He purred, even ignoring the fact that his aft was resting in his own fluids at the moment.

Thundercracker's smile widened, though the look in his optics was that of someone who might very well devour the mech who lay stretched out before him.

"Yes." was all that he said, as he took Sunny's legs and did the same, binding his lover spread-eagle onto the now-damp berth. Thundercracker noticed this, and found a cloth on a shelf, placing it under Sunny's aft to make it more comfortable for him.

"Yes, I will ravish you." TC promised. "I will have all of you now. Right here." With that thought in mind, he checked the door...and there was a lock on the inside. Undoubtedly it could be overridden by the medical staff if needed, but he was going to use it.

He traced Sunstreaker's lips with one digit on his right hand, just staring down at him. He could tall that Sunny was still heated, that he wanted more just by the cant of his hips and the way he shivered whenever TC spoke to him.

"Is that what you want? And if I...go too far, how shall you make me stop?" He was serious with that.

"I'll bite you." Sunstreaker deadpanned. "I'm not gonna break, Thundercracker. And you need to get over last time. So I walked funny for a few days." He shrugged, the movement awkward with his his arms were pinned. "Big deal. It was _good_. "

"It bothered me, Sunny. I want to give you pleasure, not pain. Unless you enjoy a bit of that as well...?" It was almost a question. "Star once told me that there is a difference in true pain, and that given by a partner in the berth. That some of it feels good, it amplifies the pleasure. Such as our rough interface. I tend to agree with that." Thundercracker kissed Sunstreaker again, his lips sliding down Sunny's neck cables down to his chest. He straddled the berth, positioning himself right over Sunstreaker's open panel, and rocked gently over it, his own thick spike throbbing for attention.

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to enter me right now...but there _are_ other things I might do." TC slid down to mouth at the head of Sunstreaker's spike, denta scraping over the ridges.

Sunstreaker gasped, hips jumping minimally, stretched out as he was. HE groaned, helm tilted to look down the length of his torso at Thundercracker, optics wide at the sight of the white lips just inches from his spike. His mind flashed back to the previous cycle- Primus had it only been a day?- when Thundercracker had made him overload with his mouth only. He moaned, biting his bottom lip in anticipation.

Garnet optics met Sunstreaker's and TC held his gaze as his glossa teased Sunny's spike, lips moving down as he pressed it against the top of his mouth, relaxing his intake so that he could take it all. Thundercracker loved his feeling, and he rubbed at Sunny's inner thighs, not touching his port, just to intensify the sensation of a warm, wet mouth all over his equipment. Thundercracker let out a slightly muffled moan, strictly for Sunstreaker's benefit, his optics flaring, but never leaving Sunstreaker's gaze. He rose up only to say, "Watch me." His mouth moved back down, and he took it to the hilt, barely able to see Sunstreaker, his lips touching Sunny's plating...and he moved back up once more, fighting against his own suction. He did it again, and again, wanting to see his lover completely undone.

Sunstreaker groaned in both pleasure and frustration, unable to do anything but watch and wiggled. And even that was limited. His valve throbbed but his spike throbbed more, Thundercracker's hot, wet mouth and intake like a curse and blessing slowly driving him insane.

He panted and gasped his lover's name, pulling at his restraints.

Thundercracker briefly offlined his optics and moaned softly when Sunny gasped his name. His wings trembled, held high up on his back, and he went down hard, moving his head up and down over Sunny's spike with the clear intent of overloading him _hard_. His glossa flicked at the sensors and ridges, and his hands brushed closer to his valve, lightly, so every lightly stroking the outer nodes with just his fingertips. TC intentionally made loud noises and a lot of them, putting on a show for Sunstreaker, displaying how much he loved him and cherished him.

TC's own equipment was going insane, hs newly repaired valve dripping behind its panel, and his spike trailing fliuds all over the berth where his hips rested. He knew he'd have what he wanted soon enough.

Golden digits dug into equally golden palms as Sunstreaker twisted and writhed and a long line of pleading words fell from his lips. He was going to go over entirely too fast, overload approaching hard and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Nothing he could do to slow it down.

His long line of begging was finally broken on a static whine as his hips jerked and his optics whited out, transfluid once more spilling from his spike, hot and burning down the length of his shaft and he wailed in ecstasy before slumping, the rag under him damp with the fluid leaked from valve.

TC moaned loudly when the first jet of hot fluid struck the back of his intakes, and he took all that Sunstreaker gave him in a slow, deliberate slide. He moved up on his bound lover again, pressing his form fully into the mech. His lips were so close, almost vibrating next to Sunny's.

"You will give yourself to me." he whispered, entering Sunny quickly, a hard, fast thrust that went as deep as it could, Sunstreaker's legs pushed against the bindings as far as they could go. Thundercracker's optics flared again, and he kissed Sunstreaker, swallowing whatever cries he made as he pounded into his lover hard.

::Before you overload, share your spark with me, Sunstreaker. _Please_.:: he commed, his lips too busy to speak.

_::Yes!::_

It was an answer that encompassed several things at once. Thundercracker's verbal demand. His treatment to his valve. The sparkfelt request. Pleasure burned and the golden mech twisted and fought against his restraints, wanting to grasp at Thundercracker, wanting to grasp his helm and all but weld their lips together and so much more.

:_:Anything!::_

Thundercracker felt, rather than saw, Sunstreaker's arms struggle to get free, and he expertly slipped the bindings off his wrists before grabbing his face, moaning into the kiss. He drove into Sunny _hard_, his previous overload helping to extend this, to ensure that Sunstreaker was fully sated before he was unable to continue.

He broke free to pant through his lips, hands on either side of Sunstreaker's helm to balance himself, never slowing, never stopping. His intense gaze met Sunny's pleasure-dazed expression and he smiled, feeling the emotion well up inside him at the beauty within as well as without. "Anything." he agreed, and waited for that perfect moment where they would become one for a little while, as close as they would ever get due to circumstance and necessity.

As soon as his hands were free, they shot to Thundercracker's wings hinges, pulling his lover's full weight down onto him at the same time as he stimulated the high sensors in his mate's wings. And that felt... good to say. His mate. He groaned, legs straining against their own bindings, but knowing there was no physical way to free them at this point in time. So he settled for sliding one of his hands down Thundercracker's back to his aft to squeeze and pull him as he thrust.

When he felt the heat start to become too much he initiated the commands to open his chestplates. Golden paint gleamed under blue light as his spark pulsed, the orb engorged with energy.

"Hnnnngah!" Thundercracker cried, unable to put just how good that felt into words. Sunstreaker's hands devastated the sensors there, the feeling almost as if they were on fire yet far more pleasurable. He pulled up, for just a moment, smiling at the azure glow that Sunstreaker revealed to him, the returned smile, the sheer surrender in that action. His own chestplates flew apart and glimmering gold crept out to brush across Sunstreaker's spark, caressing it with Thundercracker's own energy.

"Now..." he breathed, holding Sunny close, as if he _needed_ to keep holding on or else fall away. His form trembled and he sent several sharp pulses of energy through himself to his partner, soft, high-pitched noises escaping his lips.

Sunstreaker keened, helm jerking back against the berth and swinging from side to side desperately. His hands grasped at whatever plating was within his grasp. his spark pulsed and for several moments he felt like there was more than he and Thundercracker in the merge. A bright, sharp jab of joy sparked out and made him gasp again.

"Steady, Sunny." Thundercracker whispered, barely able to take his own advice. He slowed, rocking deep within Sunstreaker, pressed as close as he possibly could be as he shared his emotions, his thoughts.

Their young one, on the way- TC was overjoyed yet afraid, afraid that he would not be good enough, be what Sunny needed in a partner. He shared his intense love for him, how he would truly give whatever he could, and he looked at him, optics dim with passion and impending overload and everything all at once...One hand cupped Sunstreaker's cheek, a gentle caress that belied Thundercracker's great strength, from within and from without. "With me." he said, his tone rolling over the two of them as he sped up the movements, continually remaining deep within his mate as he drove them both to the edge.

Sunstreaker moaned, low and deep, leaning up and brushing their lips together before pressing closer and making it more firm and then passionate. It was slow, devastating and filled with everything Sunstreaker felt as he pressed his own feelings right back.

Not being a good enough parent, let alone a carrier. Not being good enough to hold Thundercracker there. All washed away under the Seeker's absolute love that he felt, replaced with his absolute awe that this was /his/, fully and completely. And his absolute joy and despite his terror and hesitancy and misgivings that he was willing to give Thundercracker this. Their child.

_::Mine. I love you. Do not fear. I will be here until you tire of my hovering.::_ Thundercracker teased lightly, unable and completely unwilling to speak through the deep kiss. His spike glided over senstized nodes, slow instead of fast, but still deep and hard, hard enough that the berth frame shuddered with each plunge inward. TC's breath caught, and his mouth captured Sunstreaker's more fully, glossa tangling with Sunny's in a sliding dance, entwined. He could feel it, the pressure going out of control, Sunstreaker's trembling and the touch on his wings undoing him completely.

His spark flared golden fire, slamming a surge directly into his mate, as he overloaded violently within Sunstreaker, lips nbreaking free to let out a loud, desperate keen. "Sunny. Sunstreaker. Mine. Yours." he chanted, his processor dazed and addled with the surge.

Sunstreaker tore away from the kiss with a scream of deep pleasure. His valve clamped down and his spark flared, returning the pulse and sending his sensors into a spasm of sensation as he writhed even with his bound legs.

Thundercracker at least had the presence of mind not to fall upon Sunny, though it was a near thing. He shared the small berth, wings hanging off the side, trying to get his processing power back as well as cool himself off; his overheat warning has been blaring at him for the past few breem but he ignored them in favor of what he'd been doing.

"Are...you all right?" he asked, his voice rough.

"Mnf..." The Lamborghini grunted drowsily, chestplates closing as his spark retreated into his chamber again, shielding his spark and the smaller one circling it. He tried to turn to snuggle into the bigger seeker, only to have his progress halted by the binding on his ankles. So he settled for pressing his side against him, too tired to bother otherwise.

Thundercracker noted the struggling, and slowly sat up, his own chestplates coming together almost reluctantly, and he removed the bindings before almost literally flopping back down nest to Sunstreaker, curling his arm around the warrior and holding tight. "Tired." he said softly, not even caring about the state of his plating, his paint job, or anything but lying here next to Sunstreaker.

"Mmmm." He agreed. "We'll talk about names later." He murmured. "Mech, not femme."

"How do you know?" TC mused, almost silently. He caressed Sunstreaker's helm softly, offlining his optics for recharge.

"I know." Sunstreaker said simply, and that was all he said before his systems shut down for recharge.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hi, readers!_

_A short update, but we felt that you deserved something a little lighter than some of what we've been adding into the story. So, here it is._

_Warnings: Nothing out of the ordinary; sticky smut and sparkplay._

_Transformers STILL doesn't belong to either of us._

_Review, pleeeeease?_

* * *

><p>Sideswipe sat next to Skywarp, legs tucked under him as he sat crosslegged on the berth. Their new room was... roomy. And near the hangar, which Skywarp was thrilled about. They were waiting for Jazz to escort Starscream back from the medbay, and it worried him and filled him with an overwhelming hate towards Megatron, that his lover was hurt so bad. He squirmed impatiently.<p>

Skywarp kept looking at the door, waiting. He was sort of worried for Starscream, because Ratchet's reaction was...not good, when he'd examined their trineleader. He had said words that Skywarp noted for future usage, and threw Sideswipe and Skywarp out of medbay. Thundercracker had already been finished, and was resting in his room..they were making him stay overnight, due to a complication.

"Bored, Sides. What do we do for fun around here?" he asked, really wanting to go explore the ship, but also more than a little scared to because these were people he'd tried to kill at one time; had shot at, fought with, and genuinely had wanted deactivated.

"Usually?" Sideswipe asked. "Prank, cause trouble or hang out in the rec room if Sunny's not pounding me into the berth." He shrugged. "But I don't really feel like spending time in the brig or dealing with the public today..."

Skywarp smirked. "So that leaves one thing..." He put a single finger between his lips, glossa wrapping around it. "Hey, I know what, because if I start fragging your processor out without Stars, he is gonna pitch a _fit_. Sparkling names!"

Sideswipe's optics light up with sudden excitement. "Hey, yeah!"

He turns to face Skywarp completely, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Let's get a few things out of the way first. We're gonna have to think of flier names and grounder names 'cause Ratch said we won't know until the sparks gain a little more color."

Skywarp nodded. "Can't call a grounder something like Skywhisper, because that's just silly. But somethin' like, I don't know, Lightspeed would be okay?" Skywarp pondered this for awhile, cocking his helm. "Or maybe Breaker. But Seekers, we have good names. Like Starshadow! Because Starscream is part of one of them, and he really should help with the same for his own sparkling...hm...maybe Skyshadow cause I'm a Sky too?"

Sideswipe frowned slightly. "And I'm a Sides, but you don't see me naming a kid after me. I don't think names should be echoes of their genitors. Stormrunner sounds good. Or even Quickstrafe! And grounders have great names! For example, Upbeat."

"...Upbeat? The frag? Are you Soundwave or something?" Skywarp asked, disbelieving what he'd just heard. "Stormrunner is the name of every fifth Seeker in the academy, cause it's just too overdone. Quickstrafe. That sounds like somethin' you go to the medic for." Ruby optics danced with humor, but Sky's tone was serious.

Sideswipe scowled. "Well sorry for liking music. And Stormrunner sounds cool." He can admit to the Quickstrafe thing but you never knew! Their little baby may just become a medic! "Who says it's gonna be a Seeker though? What about Sharprev?"

"Who says he isn't?" Skywarp countered. "Sharprev. NO." he said, rolling his optics. "That's sorta ridiculous. I like Skyshadow. Cause he might be black, like me." Skywarp flared his wings out a bit at this, proud of his good looks. "And human music is weird." he added, recalling some of the slag he'd heard on the Nemesis.

"That's cause you don't where to look!" Sideswipe muttered petulantly. "And what if he's red, huh? What are we going to do then? Stormrunner may be average, but it's a safe bet."

"No way to find out till he gets in his form and colors up." Skywarp pointed out. "For all we know he'll be bright green with yellow polka dots and think he's a fragging minibot." Skywarp was sulking because of this argument, his lip slightly stuck out and everything.

That's the sight Starscream was greeted with as Jazz led him into their new quarters. The former Air Commander looked irritated, or perhaps just resigned.

Sideswipe glanced up from his own pout and was instantly on his feet, approaching his lover. "H-how'd it go? Ratch give you the ok? Well, I mean, he obviously did since you're here, but did he... you know... Did he get it all fixed?"

Starscream's face was set in a carefully neutral expression. He _really_ didn't want to go into this, but he also knew that the both of them, being his lovers and hopefully his partners, had the right to know.

"I had many sensors damaged, in addition to improperly healed places in my valve." he said tonelessly. "Ratchet rebuilt it, but I am not to use it for at least an orn, maybe longer, or risk damaging the new materials." Starscream was somewhat embarrassed to talk about this, and hoped that he wasn't disappointing Sideswipe or Skywarp.

"'S okay Star, we don't _have_ to do that." Skywarp said cheerfully. "You can still do other things, right, like spike me maybe?" Skywarp's ruby optics glinted with mischief.

Sideswipe snorted. "Or help us come up with sparkling names. Warp and I seem to be... at odds."

Skywarp frowned. "His names are the _Pits_, Star. Really. Like, Upbeat. What the frag, Upbeat?" Skywarp rolled his optics and folded his arms across his cockpit, sitting on one of the rather wide berths.

Starscream resisted the urge to facepalm _hard_. "You have _plenty_ of time to decide this, and fighting over it won't do a damned bit of good, you two know that, right?" He sighed. "What have you all come up with?"

"I am partial to Stormrunner. Hell, Skyrazor sounds pretty cool, too." Sideswipe grinned, sticking his glossa out at Skywarp. "Sky wants Skyshadow. It's not _bad_, but what if the little guy is red? Then the name makes no sense at all! And what if he's a grounder?"

Starscream considered these, and nodded. "I don't think they're grounder sparks, Warp. They're too golden. I could be wrong, though- I can't say I've ever seen a sparkling with mixed heritage before." He continued, "Skyrazor sounds violent. Which is all well and good for a seeker, but aren't we trying to _end_ the war?" A strange thing indeed to be coming from Starscream! He continued considering the other two names.

"Well yes, but Skyrazor sounds tough. I want the little guy to attract the mechs and femmes. And then there's ours too, Star!" Sideswipe's face and tone brighten as he contemplates.

Starscream eyed Sideswipe, and sat next to him on the berth, in between him and Skywarp, who scooted over just a bit so that Star could fit without bashing Sides in the head with his wing.

"Nebula." Starscream said. "As for you two, you need to work that out among yourselves...or else I'll choose that too, just so I don't have to listen to the bickering." Starscream smirked to take the sting out of his words, and kissed each of his lovers in turn. Skywarp took rather harsh control of his kiss, as he was second, and Starscream grabbed Warp's wings and pulled down, causing the dark Seeker to moan into Star's mouth.

He pulled free, looking dazed. "Fragging pits, Star. You're gonna _kill_ me with that."

Sideswipe snickered at that, pressed lightly between the two big seekers. "Aw, you exaggerate, Warpy." He prodded Starscream in his stomach plating just to the left of the Seeker's cockpit glass. "Why Nebula? Think the little guy's going to be a sciencebot?"

"That, I couldn't tell you...but it feels right, somehow." Starscream explained, one hand petting Skywarp's wing, the one overlapping Sides, and the other rubbing across Sideswipe's helm.

Skywarp's optics flashed and he decided to get back at his trinemate, scratching rather harshly down Star's left wing, intentionally and roughly. Starscream's backstrut stiffened, and he gave Warp a dirty look.

Sideswipe's engine, which had been purring at the soft touch on his helm, suddenly revved sharply. "What was that about no bickering?" He grumbled slightly. "I'm still not sure about either name."

Skywarp actually pouted. "Neither am I. Wonder how I can change your mind?" he asked, looking at Starscream, "Also, Star, that _wasn't_ s'posed to hurt."

"Knew that, Warp." Starscream replied. "Why don't you just put the names together or something if you can't agree? Or fight it out, 'face it out, something." He grinned. "I don't have to stay TOTALLY out of it, you know."

Sideswipe blinked. "Frag it out? Seriously? Is _that_ how you Seekers settle disputes? Sunny and I duke it out." He grinned. "And I win just as much as he does. And changing my mind _might_ be possible. Maybe. I dunno. I just don't like the name for some reason. Nebula, maybe. I'm on the fence, as the humans say, with that one."

"Why the frag would anybody want to be on a fence?" Skywarp asked rhetorically. "Yeah, Seekers frag it out. Or fight it out, but I'm not fightin' the carrier of my sparkling, sorry." Starscream nodded at that; that would be wrong, and dangerous, and besides, the biochemical changes might be enough to grant Sides increased strength and they'd both get their afts handed to them.

"So, Sides...what do you say? Wanna settle it like a Seeker?" Starscream purred.

Sideswipe gave them a wary look, their grins almost wide enough and devious enough to challenge his 'I'm plotting' grin he gave Prowl just to mess with the fragger. "I dunno... Aren't you supposed to be giving facing a break?"

Starscream raised an optic ridge. "I _could_ just watch you...Skywarp's cleared. Or I could spike Warp...or you...or suck you off...or something like that." Starscream's tone became more seductive with every suggestion.

Skywarp just watched his trinemate, a look of want on his pale face. He licked his full lips, and tilted his head, almost _purring_. "Star, by Primus..." he breathed.

"Your choice, love." Starscream said, running a single finger down Sideswipe's chestplates. "I am here to serve." His wings twitched fetchingly, and the look on _his_ face might well have been illegal in some places.

Sideswipe's vents hitched as he watched the finger travel down the slight curve of his chassis before his optics darted up to lock with Starscream's, a shade darker from his arousal. His lower lip trembled with the overwhelming urge to lean forward and kiss Starscream senseless. He licked his lips to wet them.

"Well, gotta learn sometime." He grinned, lopsidedly. "Think you can make me change my mind?"

"Yes." Skywarp said promptly, shoving him back onto the berth, his lips locked with Sideswipe's own in a deep, powerful kiss. Starscream leaned in, his hands roving between Sides' thighs, the tips teasing and tickling the plating there. Skywarp's hands grasped Sideswipe's holding him tightly to the berth, moving off just to pin him there while Starscream considered his lover, all stretched out.

"Hmmm. I have an idea...but not yet." Starscream said with a secretive smile. "Hold him there, Warp, while I do something. I _will_ make it worth your while."

"You better." Skywarp retorted cheerfully, holding Sides down tightly.

Sideswipe shifted in excitement, optics flashing and he gave Starscream and Skywarp his patented cheeky grin, panting just a bit from the previous and sudden kiss. His legs shifted, pressing his plating more firmly against his lover's fingers. "An idea, Stars? I like your ideas."

"Do you now." Starscream continued tracing Sides' chest plating with one hand, his other hand busy over his interface paneling. "But what if _I_ win this one? What do _I_ get?"

Skywarp snuck in another kiss while Star was occupied, nibbling on Sides' bottom lip with a soft gasp.

"It's simply not fair, two against one," Starscream mused. "Then again, I _am_ a former Decepticon. I suppose I should live up to that. Open for me, Sideswipe." His tone was at once commanding and gentle, his fingers insistent.

His panel snapped back with no resistance from him whatsoever. Sideswipe followed Skywarp's lips as the black seeker pulled away until he was out of reach. A small whine left his lips, but it quickly morphed into a pleased purr. "Right down to business, then?"

"Right down to making you squirm, morelike." Starscream said, using one single finger on Sideswipe's valve rim. Skywarp watched eagerly, his own paneling sliding away, but Starscream smacked his hand when he reached for his own spike. Sky looked slightly hurt, until Starscream whispered something in his audial that made the dark Seeker grin widely. He removed a set of cuffs from his subspace and gently but firmly bound Sides' wrists, just so that he could lean over his chestplates to lap at the seams of his armor.

Starscream nodded in satisfaction, continuing the slow trace, his other hand busy rhythmically pressing on Sides' spike cover with his thumb. Star watched his lover's face intently, drinking in the responses.

Sideswipe gasped and did indeed squirm, hips shifting up as he hummed and his valve lubricated. The glossa working at the seam on his chest was a sharp contrast every time it dipped into the sensitive line. To muffle the small sounds coming from his lips he leaned up, bound wrists following to touch and kiss Skywarp's cockpit. Who said he couldn't tease too?

Skywarp shivered, and his lips became even more active, the tip of his glossa delving deep into gaps where fingers could not reach. He hummed, deliberately, transmitting the vibrations from his vocalizer through his lips onto Sides' plating, the look in his optics full of want.

Starscream dipped his fingertip low, moistening it, and continued the glide over external sensors, not entering Sides just yet; he was far more content to watch him shake lightly, the small cables in his inner thighs jumping at the sensations. Starscream leveled his gaze on Sideswipe and smiled...then lowered himself with a sliding motion, replacing his fingertip with his glossa. His thumb remained directly over his spike cover, trying to keep it restrained. Skywarp's optics flared at the sight, and one of his hands slid over to stroke Starscream's wings, eliciting a soft sigh.

A full length shudder tripped down his body and he moaned against Skywarp's cockpit, retaliating with a sharp nip against the golden glass. His hips pressed up into Starscream, trying to get his glossa deeper to stimulate the the deeper sensors that were yearning for attention. His chest was tingling with each swipe of Skywarp's glossa. His spike strained at the restraining press against the cover and he whined, pushing at Skywarp's stomach plating to sit up and retaliate somehow.

"Nope." Skywarp said with a wide grin. "Gonna tease you till you open it, and then I'll show you something I bet you've never seen." Starscream continued what _he_ was doing, thumb still firmly pressing against Sides' spike housing, pushing and brushing over it, but never moving enough to allow it freedom.

He moaned at the contact of Sky's hand on his wing, and delved somewhat deeper, glossa darting in and out like a small, flexible spike. His other hand held Sideswipe's thighs open wide, as he gasped and moaned, his vocal nature definitely not stifled here. His own hips twitched in time to his movements on Sideswipe, trembling and squirming.

Sideswipe twisted and moaned under his lover's attentions trying anything to get some kind of advantage in this situation. "Oh frag!" He gasped in between moans. "Oh, that feels good!" His chest plates separated minimally, enough for _maybe_ finger tips to slip through.

Fingertips _did_ attempt to slip through, follows by Skywarp's lips sliding along the open edge, his glossa dipping in farther. He moaned appreciatively, liking the _difference_ of what he was doing, something that they didn't do all the time. Black wings shuddered lightly, and Starscream moaned in harmony with his trinemate.

"Does it now." Star purred, placing his lips around the anterior node just above Sideswipe's valve and sucking hard. His fingers on his free hand slipped inside, three at once, thrusting hard and deep, twisting around to scrape all the sensors at the entrance...and Starscream _still_ wouldn't let Sides' spike emerge; his hand prevented it, even as he palmed the cover.

To muffle his next moan, Sideswipe latched his lips to the smooth glass and sucked, moving until his neck was straining to latch onto a support and nip, even as he ground up into the digits thrusting into his valve. Those devious lips were going to bring him to overload quickly...far too quickly, he knew.

Skywarp's denta clenched and he groaned, raising his helm to look Sideswipe in the optic. "Didn't know you knew that spot was sensitive." He moved enough to grab a few pillows, an affectation that Starscream insisted on, and placed them under Sides' head to lift it and make him more comfortable. "Not gonna have you strain something just cuz you wanna give back." he said with a grin. With that done, he dipped his head...and slid downward enough so that he could add a finger to Sides' valve, thrusting along with Starscream in perfect rhythm.

"Sides-" Starscream gasped, his hips sliding on the berth in thrusting motions. "I want to spike you." he murmured around his exterior nodes, lapping at each until the moisture tricking from Sides' port became too slippery, and then he lapped _that_ up, sneaking a nip on Skywarp's thrusting finger while he was at it. "Hard." Warp continued trying to dip into Sides' chest plating, wanting his spark...for what, he wasn't saying.

Sideswipe was unable to respond to Skywarp even though he got the fleeting feeling that it didn't really matter anyway, it paled compared to what they were doing now. The extra stretch and the glossa lapping at the entrance to his stretched valve was positively undoing him. Now that Skywarp had stretched forward to reach his valve he could reach the edge of the seeker's pelvic armor with his lips and denta and glossa. And if he positioned his bound wrists _just_ _so_ he could reach the seeker's open interface panel... and pressurized spike.

He took full advantage, diving into his task with gusto around his moans and pleading for more.

"Oh fragging Primus." Skywarp's hips jumped, involuntarily thrusting forward into the attentions, his wings shivering with excitement. "Open up, Sides, c'mon, you know you want to..." he wheedled, curling his finger inside the red mech. His spike twitched, wanting something around it, but he knew Starscream was going to take Sides, and he couldn't take Starscream right now.

"I think we are winning, pretty mech." Starscream said softly, withdrawing his fingers and admiring them, right before pressing them into Sideswipe's mouth. His other hand finally, finally released Sides' spike, trailing down Star's own pelvic plating, which retracted, revealing his fully pressurized and hard as steel spike waiting, pulsing with want behind the paneling. He stroked himself in full view of the others, because he absolutely loved to be watched.

Sideswipe immediately latched onto the fingers and sucked them clean of his own fluids. His glossa swirled around each digit while his own fingertips brushed the length of Skywarp's spike. His chestplates slid aside more, deliberately teasing with a thread of blue light shining through to illuminate the Seekers' faceplates.

"Not yet, Stars." He breathed with a grin, letting his own legs fall farther open with the visual image of Starscream stroking himself. "I haven't agreed to anything yet."

Ruby optics flashed from behind blue sparklight, combining into a deep violet that flared as Skywarp's pale lips parted, his glossa dipping inside near the bright light. His breath hitched from the hand on his spike, hips jumping into the touch, a small trickling of fluid sliding down the flared head to wet Sides' hand. Starscream watched this, his own optics narrowed in pleasure, putting on a show for his lovers. His thighs parted, and he stroked his spike roughly, his now-clean hand dipping to rub the sensors on the outside of his port. He wasn't to enter himself, but as he said, he could do plenty without it. "Please Sides," Starscream moaned. "Want to have you so bad, but Skywarp won't move until he gets what _he_ wants, so I may have to take care of myself instead of slamming you into this new berth, breaking it in for the first time, _with you_..." He trailed off, noting the nod of approval Skywarp gave him through his ministrations.

"Yes!" He gasped. Starscream was completely without shame, Sideswipe decided...and he loved it.

Under the words and the touches his chestplates snapped aside, revealing his spark chamber which also snapped aside with his complete trust and want. He revved his engine roughly. "All for you, boys." he teased breathlessly.

"Told you we'd win." Skywarp smirked...right before he bent over Sideswipe and swiped his glossa directly over his spark. A slightly dangerous thing, to be sure, but Skywarp was never one to worry about _that_ in the pursuit of pleasure...Skywarp only wished to lick and kiss so very gently, to feel wild emotional surges straight from the source. His only word was a very strangled-sounding "...frag...!"

With Skywarp out of the way, Star had free access to Sides' now-soaked valve, and he held his thighs apart as he slowly, far too slowly parted him, every bump and ridge teasing sensitized soft metal on the way. He barely moved but for the tremble in his legs and the shake of white wings, but he was able to watch the spectacle below, and he moaned loudly in appreciation of it.

"That feels good, doesn't it, Sides? Sky likes it, likes playing with danger. He knows just how to touch, and where." A sharp thrust in, out of nowhere, bumping hard against a sensor near the top of Sides' valve. "Oh, _yes_..." He continued the pace, each thrust causing him to cry out softly.

"Ah!" Sideswipe's legs wrapped tightly around Starscream's waist and his helm fell back in pleasure. He moved back to teasing Skywarp's stomach plating, his shift to get his mouth on his spark moving his pelvis out of reach.

And oh, his spark! The heat and tingles flashing from it with each brush of lips and curl of glossa was driving him insane! His thighs clamped against Starscream's hips as he arched and gasped with each new sensation, each brush of pleasure over his plating. He sounded needy and he didn't care, valve dribbling lubricants past the large spike imbedded inside his body and his sparklets dancing near Skywarp's face.

Skywarp added one hand to what his glossa was doing, a crackling charge lighting his face, a charge that almost burned in its intensity but Skywarp translated it into intense pleasure, his free hand stoking his own equipment in time to Starscream's rather harsh movements. Smaller, less powerful energy signatures brushed across his face and rather quickly darted away from Skywarp, for what reasons he didn't know. He didn't really _care_, either, not at this moment. The containment crystal lay near the actual energy, and he nibbled on it while his fingers danced gently over Sides' essence.

Starscream could feel the emotional backlash faintly, so faintly through his trine-bond, and he picked up the pace, determined to drive Sideswipe to overload in record time, just so he could thrust through it, feel that exquisite squeeze around his spike as he fought to maintain control over his own. "Pretty little slut." he murmured, recalling Sides' expression when his brother talked like that to him. "You like it hard and dirty, don't you?" Star dragged the words out, his voice taking on a sensual note. ""Like being taken by your two seeker lovers, because _one_ isn't enough to sate you. You _need_ us _both_."

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Sideswipe gasped, whining and gasping through each thrust and brush over his spark. It was too much. So hot and perfect and a level of pleasure he'd never be able to reach without them again. He cried out, vocalizer crackling out on a keen of each name as his back arched high and he sobbed in pleasure. His valve cycled down on Starscream's spike, a jet of silvery transfluid arc in the air and splattering against Skywarp's hand and his own abdominal armor as well as Starscream's own.

Starscream cried out, shoving his pulsing spike through the tightness and heat of Sideswipe's overload, feeling the calipers cycle down against him almost _too_ tightly, making his vision swim for a bare instant. His hands took Sides' hips and jerked him toward him, the sound of their joining an almost continual loud noise. Skywarp plunged his glossa into the blueness, running it over energy that flared so much that it was solid, and his own spike twitched and released, making a huge mess of the berth and of his hand. Their transfluid mixed, and Skywarp moistened his fingers, raising up to catch Sideswipe's glance so he could watch him suck it off, the look in his optics pure sin.

"More, Sides, you can do it again." Starscream moaned desperately, needing to overload, but unwilling to go without Sideswipe.

Skywarp just grinned and parted his own chestplates to press down hard on Sideswipe while Starscream fragged him through the berth, each Seeker giving their all to drive the red twin insane.

The red warrior panted heavily, vents whirring at high speeds to attempt to cool him down as he continued to writhe, taking everything they wanted to give him. He could do it again. And again. He could go until he collapsed in exhaustion. Had gone until he collapsed. Two lovers were driving him to the brink much more quickly than he was used to. They were everywhere... and he was unable to stop the burn of their touch and the love of their words.

"Want you both so much!" He babbled. "Want these sparklings, a future, this war to end...! Want to be _happy_!"

"You will be." Skywarp promised, bringing his lips to Sideswipe's in a deep, passionate kiss.

"I will personally...uuunnhh!...rip the spark for anyone who tries to...oh Primus above me!...slaggit!" Starscream couldn't finish, not with that charge running through him. He suddenly buried himself deep, nearly exploding within his lover, the discharge almost painful. Skywarp's spark flared in unison to Starscream's powerful overload, his hand entwined with both of Sideswipe's as he kissed him, just like they always did, hanging on to it for a long, long time even through the surge of overload.

_*Mine. And Star's. Nobody else. Except Sunny, forgot about him.*_ Sky's mental tone sounded embarrassed for forgetting.

"Love you. Love you both." Starscream gasped, his arms shaking with the strain of holding himself up.

"Love you too." Sideswipe panted, clenching his valve once more on Starscream's spike with a groan. "You taste good, Warpy."

His chest plating closed again, locking the little ones away again. He frowned. "You know. I still don't think we figured out names... Nebula, I will give to you cause it does sound kind of cool." He grinned challengingly up at Skywarp. "But I'm not using Skyshadow."

Skywarp stuck out his glossa playfully. "Okay. Fine. Aft." He poked Sideswipe in the belly. "We'll mix the two up. Stormshadow. That sound okay? And it works for mech _or_ femme." He dragged his finger trough their cooling fluids again, and tasted. "Hmm. You too. Or it's both of us."

"Hopelessly perverted." Starscream says, laughing softly.

"You are _so_ not one to talk, Mister Tie Me To The Berth and Frag Me Hard." Skywarp reminded Starscream.

"I like it!" Sideswipe said with some surprise. It rolled off the glossa nicely, and Skywarp was right. It also worked for a grounder. He tilted his helm to give Starscream an appraising look with darkened optics. "_Really_?" He purred, lips curling into a seductive grin. "Maybe you'd be willing to reenact that for me?" He paused and then added, "When you're better."

"Only if both of you come." Starscream purred, eyeing Skywarp with a Look that promised many, many things. "I'll be more...sensitive, when I'm allowed to frag again." Skywarp smirked widely at that, and rubbed his hands together. "We'll come, all right. All over you." He smirked and looked at Sideswipe.

"Star will be screaming, that's for sure. How do you think he got his name?"

Starscream punched Skywarp on the shoulder and scowled. Changing the subject rather abruptly to hide his reaction to the images floating around his meta, he said, "Nebula and Stormshadow." He mused, rolling the names over in his meta. "Yes. That will do nicely."

"Can't wait to see their colors." Sideswipe sighed wistfully. "Want them here already..."

"No, ya don't." Skywarp said cheekily. "If they're anything like Star here they will be loud enough to wake the dead, screeching for energon at all hours of the night."

"Aft." Starscream said, not unkindly. "_YOU_ can get up, then."

Skywarp shrugged. "Course I will. Little ones need me."

"I want them here." Sideswipe insisted. "Imagine how cute they'll be!"

His smile falters. Still wasn't much of a world to grow up in... And their own future was still... Uncertain.

"Of course they'll be here. Probably in this room. Which means _some_ of you will have to learn to be quiet while 'facing, or else you'll wake the little ones!" Skywarp crowed.

"Shut up, Warp." Starscream said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Sides, it'll be okay. I promise. Have I ever lied to you?"

"Weeeeeeell..." He pretended to think about this, putting a finger to his chin. "Before or after we got together?" He teased. He didn't even dispute Skywarp's claim. He knew he was loud. But not nearly as loud as Sunstreaker or Starscream.

Starscream snorts, loudly. "After. Obviously. Before I was a sparkless war machine, remember?" Star's tone was teasing; that was what he'd called himself, just after that first time.

Skywarp just made "blah blah" motions with his hands, safely behind Starscream's back.

Sideswipe snorted, clapping his hand over his mouth and shaking with repressed laughter.

"What? It wasn't _that_ funny." Starscream eyed Sideswipe suspiciously, then whirls, catching Skywarp in the act. "Pain in my _AFT_, Warp." he said, smiling anyway.

"Not the aft, Stars, that's not where I was aiming!" Skywarp said promptly, giggling loudly.

Sideswipe didn't bother covering his laughs now as he curled up on his side and shook with mirth. "Bet the babies' first words are aft and frag."

Skywarp laughed long and hard at this idea while Starscream just sighed deeply, shaking his head. "They had better _not_ be. The heir to Vos is _not_ going to be cursing like a dockworker in his first decaorn!" Starscream said somewhat pompously, the Seeker pride showing strong.

Sideswipe's manic giggling tapered out as that thought sank in and he looked at Starscream with confusion and amazement. "Heir to Vos?"

"Yeah. Stars here was the last Winglord, which is sort of like a ruler." Skywarp offered, as Starscream struggled to keep the smile on his face. Memories of his home always, _always_ hurt him, because those were the Good Times, before all this war slag.

And didn't that make him feel... small. "Does... does that mean that the Seekers follow you? Or something?" He sat up. what would they think of Starscream and his relationship? Would they look down on him? Them? Their sparklings?

"They used to." Starscream said. "I don't know if they still will. That's part of what your command staff was hoping for; it's no secret as to my position before the war." Starscream shrugged.

"I'd follow you into Unicron's Pit, Star." Skywarp said loyally. "So'd TC." He thought for a minute. "If Sunny came too, TC would."

"Me too!" Sideswipe chirped up cheekily. "Think I'm already headed that way, anyway. If not, then Prowl certainly wouldn't mind seeing me go." He snickered at the thought of his stiff SIC who had escorted them here in absolute silence. It was almost obvious he was fuming.

"What's wrong with him? Skywarp asked, somewhat mystified. "I know, we were dirty nasty 'Cons who hurt people and stuff, but we AREN'T anymore! Don't Autobots forgive and all that slag?"

"He undoubtedly considers us a threat." Starscream said, leaning back on some pillows and stretching.

"Well, there is that. But I bet he's more irked that Prime isn't listening to much of what he was saying this time around." Sideswipe considered. "That or he sees your being here and not in the brig as a personal affront."

"He can frag off and deactivate; I am _not_ going to your brig." Skywarp said truculently. "Hate being locked up, and he can't keep me there anyway."

"Bet he can, Warp. Mad Scientist...err...Wheeljack...probably has something that'll turn your warp gate into a microwave oven." Starscream reminded him.

"Aww, Jackie's not that bad. It's really an exaggeration how much his stuff actually explodes when he works on it. Most of the mistakes are made because someone distracted him at a critical point." Sideswipe said defensively.

"I happen to know the mech is brilliant. That's why I'm pretty sure he could do it." Starscream said, sitting up on the berth. "Can we get out of this room, maybe? I feel...enclosed." His wings twitched slightly.

"'Racks first, or at least a cloth, Star." Skywarp said, snickering. "You're...um...messy."

Starscream looked down and saw the transfluid and lubricant that dotted his form and laughed. "Oops." He ran into the racks, followed by a quickly-moving Skywarp.

"You too, Warpy." Sideswipe grinned widely and went to flick his helm. He paused and then held his cuffed wrists out sheepishly. "Uhhh... can I get these off, please?"

"Slaggit..." Skywarp came dripping wet from the 'racks, and unlocked Sideswipe, deliberately shaking water and cleanser suds all over him. "Get your aft back in here!" they heard Starscream yell. "SOMEBODY needs to give my wings a proper scrubbing!"

Sideswipe raised an optic ridge and grinned before standing and leisurely following Skywarp back into the 'racks.

He sat quietly, watching his lovers twist and circle through the sky, cutting the clouds and enjoying their time for once, free in the air. Sideswipe leaned back on his hands, legs spread out in front of him as he smiled softly, imagining two smaller jets zooming along behind either of his lovers.

"Catch me if you can, slagger!" Skywarp's voice was taken by the wind, but his antics made it clear he was showing off, both for his trinemate and for Sideswipe, who he realized had never gotten the chance to see him actually _fly_ for just the pleasure of it. His dips and rolls became more showy, twirling around Starscream in an aerial dance, and Starscream moved with him, synchronized due to long practice and familiarity.

Star was the smart one; he used his comm, open to Skywarp and Sideswipe so that all could participate. _::Don't have to catch you, glitchhead, I already have you.:: _His own agility in the sky was superior to Skywarp's, and visibly so- he could turn on almost nothing flat, and his speed was such that he covered vast amounts of airspace in very little time at all.

At once, the two Seekers linked hands and took off, straight up.

Sideswipe laughed, admiring the two Seekers and just a little jealous. He had his jetpack, sure, but that was different. Couldn't pull aerial tricks like that with a jetpack. He was just about to interject on the comms about how it's hard to see their afts from here when he gets a hail on another channel. Keeping the one with his lovers open so they could hear too, he answered it. _::Sideswipe. Go ahead.::_

_::Heya, Siders, got a moment?::_

_::Jazz? Sure, what's up?::_

_::Yeah, think you'd mind not glitching Red for the foreseeable future?::_

Sideswipe frowned, confusion tinging his tone. _::Glitching Red? I didn't do... oh. OH! Ha! Sure, I'll let the annoyingbot know when we leave the Ark from now on.::_

_::He saw Seekers in the sky and freaked.::_ Jazz said.

Skywarp laughed very, _very_ quietly over their private comm at that.

_::Just try and be a little more...hmm...just think, kay?:: _Jazz asked.

The seekers were so high up they could barely be seen. Skywarp took Starscream's other hand in his own and held him close...and then they dropped, cutting all power to thrusters and engines.

_::Me? Think? Whoa, Jazz-man! Let's be realistic now.::_ Sideswipe teased, but he sent an acknowledging ping. Jazz laughed.

_::Well, better haul Red to Ratch. Ah'll catch ya later, mech. Jazz out.::_

Sideswipe continued laughing quietly to himself and he turned back to watch his lovers plummet from the sky, the sunset shining on off their plating and giving brilliance to the sky Sideswipe already loved so much.


	12. Chapter 12

_Real Life computer issues slowed this down...but we're not dead yet. LONGEST update ever, I think, word-wise. Also, I'm almost 100% that this chapter contains more smut than any two of the others combined. Some plot (more plot coming in Ch 13, which has already been started) but a lot of porn, at least it's interesting..._

_Pairings for this chapter: Star/Sky/TC; Sides/Sunny; Sides/Star/Skywarp; Sunny/TC_

_Warnings: Twincest, oral, more than a hint of BDSM, D/s, bondage, use of toys, sticky, sticky sticky pr0nz._

_Disclaimer: Not ours. We want them ALL._

* * *

><p>Starscream glared a hole through Ratchet as the medic just smirked, tapping his stylus on the datapad.<p>

"You're cleared for...whatever it is that you three do with each other." Ratchet said with a positively evil grin.

"Jealous, Ratchet?" Star asked sweetlly. "I don't know, if you behave we _might_ be able to arrange for a private viewing-"

"Negative, Seeker. I've seen more of your valve than I _ever_ wanted to." Stascream just snorted, but he respected Ratchet for being able to take what he tossed out. Most mechs couldn't. And the verbal sparring was something he actually enjoyed.

Skywarp snickered; he'd accompanied Star to medbay, wanting to see more of the Ark. They still didn't go very far by themselves; the vast majority of the 'Bots seemed to actively loathe them, and Starscream was determined not to make that a factor in their lives here.

"Your loss." Starscream said with a laugh.

"'Member, Star. You're a virgin again!" Skywarp cackled. Dark faceplates visibly heated as Starscream flicked _both_ wings at Skywarp.

Sideswipe rushed into the medbay as soon as he got a ping of permission from Ratchet, faceplates cheerful to cover the worry that something may have gone wrong. It's a relief to him that both his lovers seem relaxed and at ease. He grinned widely and walked to them. "You miss me?" He asked cheekily.

"'Course!" Skywarp said cheerfully, hugging Sideswipe tightly. "Always do. How are you feeling?"

Starscream was more reserved than his trinemate, standing by the berth that he'd just been released from. "Yes." he said simply, eyeing Ratchet, daring him to say a fragging things about his feelings.

Ratchet gave all three of them a significant look and pointed at Sideswipe. "On the berth, loverboy. Let me check those sparklings before you three go unseen for the next orn or so."

Sideswipe pouted slightly. "You do realize that I can prank you now and you can't hit me, right."

Ratchet snorted and rolled his optics. "Oh, I can't hit _you_. Nobody said your Seekers were safe. I have no compunctions about whacking _them_ in your place."

A dramatic groan followed that statement, but Sideswipe complied, hopping up and smiling as he pulled Starscream and Skywarp up with him.

Ratchet eyed the three on the berth. "Isn't this how you got sparked up to begin with?" He didn't make them move, though- he started the spark scan, and frowned a bit.

"Aren't you 'facing?" he asked bluntly.

Starscream glared. "Yes, of course."

"Not the right way, apparently, because Sideswipe's energy levels are lower than I'd like for them to be. I never thought I'd have to tell a pair of Seekers to go and frag, but there you have it." Ratchet folded his arms across his chest. "Not with your twin, either. With these two. They need their sires' energy, which means, lucky you, three-way sparkmerges. You _have_ done this before, haven't you?" This question was obviously directed at Sideswipe; a medic who asked a Seeker trine that question was a medic who was a moron.

"With Sunny. You should know that Ratchet. You give us our cover weeks." Sideswipe quipped. "But no threeways. Just to even out the bond 'tween me and Sunny."

"They can show you; Starscream''s been doing it longer than you've been alive, I think."

"Frag yourself, medic!" Starscream said with a grin.

"Don't have to, I have a line of mechs just begging for a medbot's touch."

"Yuck, I did _not_ need that visual." Skywarp said, sticking his glossa out. "Don't need to think of you bangin' bolts with like Wheeljack or somethin'."

"I'm serious, though- Sides...and Sunstreaker, for that matter, is about to enter stage two." Ratchet said. Starscream's face lit up with a lazy grin, while Skywarp just looked clueless.

"Stage two?" Sideswipe asked in curiosity. "What's that?"

Skywarp looked similarly curious, and he turned to Ratchet for the explanation.

"Means that Sideswipe will require more energy to keep growing the sparklings- and he'll need twice as much because there's two of them. This manifests itself in several ways, but the most recognizable one, and most visible-"

"Is the desire to frag as often as a body can take." Starscream finished. "And that, too, will be increased. Twins again."

Skywarp tilted his head. "You mean Sides is gonna want to frag my processor out all the time? I thought he did anyway?"

Sideswipe stared at Ratchet. "You're not serious."

"Why would I lie to you about your condition?" Ratchet said with a scowl. "Now. get the frag out of here. Starscream's cleared for whatever perversions your sparks desire, and Sides, go get close to your mates. Your twins need coder energy, and it helps them bond to them before separation." Ratchet paused, knowing they'd want to hear this.

"Plus, they're winglets. The spin's too high for anything but, and they're shading more towards golden every day. Seeker sparks also require more energy, so fuel up regularly. No rationing on the Ark!" he said for the Seekers' benefit.

Sideswipe beamed. He would have been happy with either, but he knew that Skywarp and Starscream had been in some part been hoping for winglets. Skywarp commented regularly on wanting to teach the babies to fly and deflated slightly every time it was brought up that there was a chance they could be ground based. "Ya hear that? Winglets!"

Twin smiles formed on both Seekers' lips, and Skywarp, ever demonstrative, stood up and swung Sideswipe around.

"Seekerlings! Our beautiful mate, Star, he's having our winglets! Twin winglets!" Skywarp positively _beamed_, his ruby optics sparkling, and he kissed Sideswipe soundly right there in the middle of medbay.

Starscream's smile was no less wide. "Seekerlings...Sides, thank you, thank you so much." He hadn't seen a winglet since...since Vos.

"Welcome... I think." Sideswipe said breathlessly, optics bright as he relaxed in Skywarp's hold.

"Okay, if you're going to celebrate, don't do it here." Ratchet snorted, pushing at Starscream and then Skywarp and Sideswipe. "Out. To your quarters with you! And you two!" He jabbed a digit at both Seekers. "Make sure he imbibes the _appropriate_ amount of medical supplements. I don't care how bland they are, Sideswipe!" He cut off Sideswipe's whine. "You want healthy sparklings and a delivery with little to no complications, you'll fragging drink it!"

The Seekers nodded, with Skywarp tossing in a funny little salute. They each took one of Sideswipe's arms and led him out of medbay, heading back to their quarters. They stopped outside the rec room so that Skywarp could get them all some energon, but Thundercracker exited just before he could go in, with Sunstreaker not far behind him. Sunny looked more than torqued off.

"What happened?" Starscream asked his trinemate softly.

"Fragging minibots!" Sunstreaker snarled. "Don't know how to process before they speak!"

"What's they say?" Sideswipe demanded suddenly.

Thundercracker shot Sunstreaker a Look. "What they said does not matter, as it is not _true_. It only gives them power over you when you react, Sunstreaker." Despite his own words, TC looked more than a little upset himself. Starscream could see this and he frowned sourly, hoping that this wouldn't cause them any problems. There was still those slagging switches to contend with, and Starscream fully intended to be the one to teach his winglets to fly.

"I'll kick their afts into next week!" Skywarp declared, his optics flashing.

"No, you won't." Thundercracker and Starscream said simultaneously, causing Skywarp to actually smile. He stuck his glossa out and set his lips into a definite pout. "Fine. Tell me what they said, though, while we go home."

Thundercracker walked next to Sunny and nodded. "They insinuated that Sunstreaker and I...that I had forced him into creating with me, because no one would desire someone so 'incredibly dull'." Thundercracker said. "When we ignored them, Gears, I believe his name is...got nasty with Sunstreaker."

Sideswipe's optics flashed and a truly fearsome look passed across his face. Sunstreaker's optics were averted towards the ground and Sideswipe was staring at him. It was obvious something had passed through the bond. "You are not."

"'S true." Sunstreaker muttered. "Doesn't matter how you look at it. 'M not fit to be a good parent."

"What happened may not have been planned, Sunstreaker, but it _is_ wanted. Very, very wanted." Thundercracker said softly. "I will have _no_ other."

Skywarp fought the urge to roll his optics, because he could see how upset Sunny was...and that wasn't good, not for a carrier or for anyone else. He didn't know what to say, though. He almost never had the right words...that was for his trine to do for him. He felt the urge to try and comfort him, though...so Skywarp stopped in front of Sunstreaker and hugged him.

"You're just fine, better than any old mini. TeeCee adores you. He doesn't love anybody, but he does you." he said plainly, and for once Thundercracker didn't argue with him.

"Nasty." Starscream mused. "Nasty attitudes, and a habit of not thinking first."

"He called Sunny a whore, Starscream." Thundercracker said, garnet fire blazing from his optics. "A Seeker's whore."

Sideswipe's optics flared bright and he growled dangerously. He moved to enter the rec room despite Skywarp grabbing at his arm when a commotion from inside caught his attention. Yelling voices, getting louder... And then Cliffjumper came sailing through the door to hit the opposite wall with a very loud clanging sound.

Starscream deftly dodged out of the way; flying minibots tended to land hard when they finally hit, and Star didn't want to go back to medbay right now. What he saw inside the rec room was a fiasco.

Slingshot had Gears by the collar fairings and he was shaking the minibot _hard, _ yelling right in Gears' face.

"The frag. You don't know a fragging thing about what you're talkin' about, dumbaft. Carriers're to be watched and protected, not insulted!"

"The last thing we need is the fragging 'Cons breeding their own, and those who help 'em need to get their sorry afts to the Nemesis where they belong-"

**_WHAP._**

Slingshot pulled back his fist and slammed it hard into Gears' faceplate, and the minibot's optics flickered and went dark. Slingshot tossed him to the floor and glared at Huffer, as Cliffjumper was already in the hallway. Powerglide, surprisingly enough, was far away, nodding at Slings' words.

"You got a problem too, dumbafts?"

"Nah, but you know there's no brawlin' in the rec room." Ironhide drawled, sliding around the Seekers to clamp one massive hand on the flier's shoulder.

Sideswipe jumped in surprise at Ironhide's sudden appearance.

Slingshot whirled on the older mech. "You didn't hear what the minis were spouting off about this time, Ironhide! I'm perfectly justified!"

"Don't much care, either." he said, optics narrowing when he saw the Seekers. Ironhide was far from stupid; he'd heard of the latent programming the Aerialbots had, and guessed that he'd been defending one of the twins. Despite the fact that Ironhide figured they deserved whatever they'd gotten, order needed to be kept.

"Brig, Slingshot. Don't give a flyin' frag what the did, unless it got physical. Them minis put their hands on one of 'em?" he asked those watching. several mechs shook their heads, and Ironhide nodded, taking hold of Slingshot's right wingtip.

"Ow, ow, fraggit, _stop that_-" he whined as he was led off.

"Let's get out of here." Starscream said, snorting.

"It is not true, Sunstreaker." TC said softly, taking his mate's hand. "You are _perfect_ to me, and I would hope that it is _my_ opinion that matters to you. Not theirs."

"Yeah, Sunny." Sideswipe said, throwing an arm over Sunstreaker's shoulders. "Minis talk slag all of the time. Really, name one mech outside of myself and TC and Screamer?"

Sunstreaker's face visibly heatened even as they reached their quarters. "See?"

Skywarp snorted. "I've had twenty times that many-"

He stopped, face flushing a bit, before continuing. "Well. Point is, you're not. You're a Seeker's lover, a Seeker's _mate_, which is a lot different."

Thundercracker nodded; he knew why this was a sensitive subject...he recalled quite clearly what Sunny had shown him in their merges, and he hurt for him. He wanted to hold him close, but felt that that may make it worse by making Sunstreaker think that he was just an object to Thundercracker...and that couldn't be further from the truth. He did the next best thing, though. He leaned over and whispered softly into Sunny's audial.

"I love you."

They reached their quarters and pinged the door open. TC set out energon for everyone, preparing the twins' special mix. He added something else, something that had a faint shimmer.

"What's that?" Sideswipe demanded, already balking at the idea of drinking the very bland and odd medical supplements.

Sunstreaker sat quietly watching with equal curiosity and less suspicion, leaning into his lover's side, seeking comfort while waiting for an answer.

TC finished mixing the energon, which now had an odd sparkle to it. "Your supplements. And something to make it taste less like slag and more like something palatable." He didn't explain how he knew this, just that he did, and as Sunstreaker leaned on him, he wrapped an arm around Sunny and held him close. A soft smile touched his lips, and Skywarp grinned. He hadn't seen Thundercracker so happy...ever.

Starscream sniffed at the cube before handing it over to Sides. "This has platinum in it. Sweet. Perhaps very sweet. TC, they give that stuff to _sparklings_." He snorted, handing the cube over. He sipped his own and sighed...at least in here they were safe, and no one would say a thing.

"Well hey! Winglets'll love it!" Sideswipe grinned. As long as the stuff tasted better, he didn't care. He was quick to upend it into his mouth. "Mmmmm. _Much_ better." He purred.

Sunstreaker rolled his optics and drank his far more sedately. A hand rubbed over his chestplates as he contemplated everything. Was he really cut out for this? Somebody as... broken as he was?

"Winglets?" Thundercracker asked.

"Yup, our twins're winglets! Ratch said so!" Skywarp said happily, wrapping his arms around Sideswipe again. Thundercracker smiled gently; they also knew about their little one, but TC didn't want to make a big deal about it, not as fragile as Sunstreaker's emotional state was.

"Congratulations." he said, remaining close to Sunny. His hand covered Sunstreaker's over his spark chamber, lending his own strength to augment, not overtake, Sunstreaker's.

"Nebula and...what was the one you two settled on, Sides?" Starscream asked.

"Stormshadow." Sideswipe said happily.

"Hmmmm..." Sunstreaker hummed, his hand twining with Thundercracker's. "Good for you. Got colors yet?"

"Not really... Sky wants purple in there somewhere which isn't a big deal, but I still don't think _orange_ should be in there too."

"And what's wrong with purple and orange?" Skywarp said, laughing.

"It offends the optics." Starscream said, quote seriously. "And Nebula is most certainly _not_ going to be orange. Whoever heard of an orange Seeker?"

"Me." Both his trinemates said in unison.

Starscream just flickered his optics in annoyance. "Do you two know yet? About your little one, that is?"

"Grounder." Sunstreaker said shortly, optics flashing and just _daring_ anyone to say one word about it.

"Oh hey! Cute!" Sideswipe grinned. "Wait till he's old enough to go racing! Got a name?"

Thundercracker shook his head. "Not yet. Sunstreaker says he's a mech...I don't even know how he knows that." He squeezed Sunny's hand, reassuring him that he did not CARE that their sparkling couldn't fly...he would love him just as much.

Skywarp bounces happily. "Doesn't matter that he can't fly...he'll fly anyway. They won't leave him on the ground. He'll be up chasin' the clouds in no time flat."

"... Chasing clouds?" Sunstreaker said seriously, giving Skywarp a critical look.

"Uh huh. We could fly with you the same way. Between us." Skywarp said seriously. "What, you don't like the idea? Half-Seeker's gonna need the sky somehow...wonder if that's YOUR reason." Skywarp laughed at the thought.

Both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe glanced at each other significantly before looking away quickly. Sunstreaker cleared his throat. "Wasn't what I meant." he turned to Thundercracker. "Cloudchaser." He paused, waiting for approval, but almost completely sure he would get it.

Thundercracker tilts his head and looks at Sunny. "That is very appropriate, and I like it. Is that what you wish for our sparkling to be called?"

Starscream snickered. Cloudchaser. Fitting, for one who'd be following his close friends as they took to the skies...He liked it. A lot. His hand drifted over to catch Sideswipe's, and he smiled. He felt...at peace. He wasn't hurting, physically or otherwise.

Skywarp crowed. "Y'mean you're letting _me_ name your sparkling? Awesome!"

Sunstreaker beamed for a moment and purred, nodding at Skywarp. He could give him that, and a happy Skywarp meant happy everyone else; his moods were very contagious.

Sideswipe grinned and pulled Skywarp down so his helm was in his lap while he leaned in against Starscream. "So when _did_ you guys go to Ratchet? I don't remember it."

Thundercracker colored somewhat. "I had to stay in medbay, if you recall." Starscream nodded; he remembered. "Ratchet told Sunny to return later, and I went with him. That is when we discovered that..Cloudchaser was no flier. It does not matter to me, though; he is still my creation, and the creation of my chosen one." He looks at Sunny fondly and leans down to kiss him, soft and slow.

Skywarp watches this with interest, and a grin touches his lips. "Guess what, TC? Star here...well, Ratchet cleared him but...his valve's sealed again!"

Starscream glared at Skywarp. "Did you really have to announce it?"

Sunstreaker snickered even in the kiss although Sideswipe's optics were suddenly bright with interest. "Oh really?" He purred, placing his chin on the Seeker's shoulder. "And you were going to tell me this when, babe?"

Starscream flickered his optics. "Not in public, that's for sure!"

Thundercracker looked decidedly interested at this, though he kept it to himself, not wanting to upset Sunstreaker. Skywarp just laughed.

"Star hasn't been a virgin since the factions split!"

"Shut _up_, Skywarp." he snapped, only partly irritated. The thoughts of being 'faced were already affecting him, especially because it had been so long, comparatively. Starscream liked it regularly, and he hadn't had it.

Thundercracker, instead of focusing on his trineleader, decided just just continue kissing the life out of Sunny, holding on tightly. Skywarp watched with his own interest.

"Slag, TC, been too long since you did that to me." Thundercracker froze, wondering how the twins would take that idea.

oth Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's engines revved, though Sunstreaker's was more subdued. He was... jealous. Frag. That wasn't fair. It wasn't...

"That's hot." Sideswipe hummed, thoughts filtering through his mind and slowly chipping away at the green jealousy in Sunstreaker's spark. He started forming an idea and he transmitted it to his brother along with a certain... image... Sunstreaker's engine revved /_oud_ suddenly and his vents hitched.

"What's hot, TC pinning me down?" Skywarp asked. Starscream looked sharply at Skywarp.

"You _do_ know that Thundercracker has a rather permanent match with Sunstreaker, don't you?" he said almost acidly. He could see the hesitation in Sunstreaker's optics because he was far too familiar with those feelings.

Sunstreaker's grip had loosened on Thundercracker with the growing uncertainty, even as his plating heated with the arousing images that Sideswipe was feeding him.

Sideswipe looked down at his lover's face with a raised optic ridge. "That where you learned it from Warpy?"

Skywarp smirked. "Learned a lot of things trined with these two."

"Sunstreaker?" Thundercracker looked concerned. He gently took Sunny's chin in hand, looking into those ice blue optics to see if he could tell if this was bothering him. Starscream watched that with approval; it seemed that TC was _very_ serious, serious enough that perhaps he would not even 'face his _trine_, something almost unheard of with Seekers.

"Are you all right, Sunny? Tell me the truth."

"I... I'll deal." Sunstreaker muttered.

"No, I do not want you to.. 'deal'." Thundercracker said. He didn't like Sunny upset in the least. "A trine bond...is something like your link with your twin. You must come together with him, you said. So must we, though not often. It does not make me any less yours. I love them...as brothers, I suppose you could say. I love you as my chosen mate, as one that I would happily bond to were it ever possible."

Sunstreaker's spark swelled and he looked down and swallowed to avoid making a fool of himself. His face was heated and he was about to say something snappy for pride's sake when Sideswipe cut across him suddenly. "So TC... Know how to rev Sunny's engine for _real_? And I don't mean just begging. I mean so incoherent with pleasure his vocalizer fritzes."

Thundercracker just cycled his optics. "I would...like to see this."

"Frag, so would I!" Skywarp said, the eternal voyeur. Starscream just sat back in his chair, a small smile on his face. He had an idea of what was to come, and he was prepared to capture every moment of it for posterity.

A huge, wicked and curled smile met Sunstreaker's wary gaze before Sideswipe encouraged Skywarp to sit up and dived at his brother to an indignant, "SIDESWIPE!"

Sideswipe purred, leaning in over his brother's pinned form, Sunstreaker's wrists held firmly in his hands and pinned to either side of his helm. "Heya Sunshine." He purred cheekily.

"Sideswipe..." Sunstreaker growled in warning.

"What?" He leaned down, whispering in an audio. "TC wants to see you completely undone Sunny." He looked up at the big Seeker before Sunstreaker could protest. "Want to learn a few things, TC?"

"Yes." the blue Seeker rumbled, the sight before him already doing odd things to his circuitry. "The sight of Sunstreaker completely lost in pleasure...that is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen." His optics stroked the lines of Sunny's form, the contrast of red on gold brilliant and compelling.

"How loudly can you make him scream, Sides?" Starscream asked, purring. He sat next to Skywarp, lightly petting the younger Seeker's wings. Skywarp shivered in anticipation, wanting to see his lover drive his stoic twin over the edge.

"The trick, dear lover, is not how loud I can make him scream." He stared down at his brother, optics lidded with wicked intent. "It's about how I can make keep _silent_."

Sunstreaker was immediately reminded of two previous incidents that Sideswipe was talking about. His brother had brought him so much pleasure and overwhelmed him so much that Sunstreaker's vocalizer had shortcircuited and Sunsteraker had been unable to utter a scream. Sunstreaker writhing in pleasure utterly silent was... an erotic sight.

Thundercracker's optic ridges raised high. "And how, exactly, did you manage this?" He intended to watch and improve upon the technique if he could. Sunstreaker's pleasure was important to him, moreso than his own.

"Silent, hmm..." Starscream said, pinching Skywarp's wingtips in that way that made the violet Seeker shudder. Skywarp's optics cycled fast, and he looked as if he was on the verge of throwing Starscream down to have his way with him.

"Well, I was spiking him." Sideswipe narrated, pressing Sunstreaker's wrists to the berth to indicate he was to leave them there. Sunstreaker glared at him, but complied, thin lips pressed together. Sideswipe's hands ran up his shoulders and over his neck. "First time, there was a vibrator in his valve while I teased him..." Sunstreaker shuddered at the memories. "Second time there wasn't."

"What did you do the second time?" Thundercracker's tone dropped low, and there was that telltale rasp in it that showed his arousal. Sunstreaker, spread out beneath his twin...frag, but that was hot. The vibrator idea...Thundercracker had one, but it was rather larger than what Sunny was probably used to. He thought idly that that may not be such a horrible thing, after all.

Skywarp moaned loudly; Starscream was nibbling on the edges of his wings, paying close attention to each sensory cluster with his lips. His optics never left the twins, though, and neither did Skywarp's; Sky licked his lips, staring at Sides' aft as if he wanted to jump on for a ride.

"Second time he was tied up. We wanted to see what it was we did that caused it the first time. It took a few tries to figure it out..." Sunstreaker shuddered under his brother as his twin's knees guided his thighs apart and his hands slicked down his chest plating. "Our dear Sunshine, " He ignored the growled 'Don't call me that!' "Has an interesting hiccup in his systems. Get him heated enough, make him drown in sensation and the charge sweeps through so fast, so hard it glitches his vocalizer." Sunstreaker cried out suddenly, golden servos latching to white upperarms as the palm of Sideswipe's hand rubbed his slowly heating panel in a hard grind.

Thundercracker actually _whined_ at that; he'd tied Sunny up in medbay, yes, but not nearly to the extent that he had wanted to. A bound and helpless partner was incredibly stimulating... He watched Sideswipe rub his twin's panel hard, and his own hips jumped up, remembering that wet heat. His breath came faster, and he clamped his hands down onto the arms of the chair before he disgraced himself.

"Mmm, you ought to do that to Star, Sides. He loves bein' tied, among other things. Tie him and frag him hard, make him suck you off...Star here loves it when it's somebody he likes." Then Skywarp's backstrut stiffened and a loud cry escaped his lips.

Starscream had grabbed Skywarp from behind, holding him spread open with his legs wrapped around him, spreading Skywarp wide open. Star's right hand traced Sky's panel, and his left twisted Skywarp's wing, which made the dark Seeker cry out loud.

Sideswipe shivered, engine growling with the sounds of his brother and his lovers behind him. Primus, he wished he could see what they were doing... but right now he was showing Thundercracker how to get Sunny going. "You'd be surprised how much control Sunny is willing to give up if he trusts you." Sideswipe continued once he'd gotten control of himself. "So let's go over how to rev golden boy's engine."

Before Sunstreaker could snarl at him, he shoved his fingers deep in a hip seam and a moan crackled from his brother's throat instead. "Sunny's hips, with the right stimulation, are extremely sensitive."

Thundercracker's own hips arched up slightly when Sideswipe dug his fingers into Sunstreaker's hip seams, and he bit back a moan. "Hmm." he said, his hands trembling on the arms of the chair. "Just stroke the wires within? What if I were to twist gently?" TC's pretty sure he already knows the answer to that question, but he asks anyway to try and keep his arousal down to a manageable level.

"S-star!" A choked moan from Skywarp had Thundercracker glancing over, only to see Starscreamm on his knees, Skywarp planted firmly in a chair with Star's head between his thighs. His panels were still shut, but from the looks of things, they wouldn't be for long.

Sideswipe grinned, and did just that. Sunstreaker's optics flared and his hips jumped up, panel almost immediately retracting. "Quick access." Sideswipe grinned. "Now, I'm sure you know about his helm vents, yes?"

TC nodded; he'd figured that out by sucking on them, playing his glossa across them...grabbing them when Sunstreaker had taken him into his mouth... THAT memory caused his optics to flare, his hands gripping the chair tightly enough to dent it. "Yes." he whispered, and he wasn't even sure what he was agreeing with.

"S-star's got 'em too." Skywarp said shakily, grasping the helm vents firmly as Starscream licked at his panel. He hadn't opened himself yet, but it was bound to happen...especially when Star pressed his lips to the panel and activated his turbines, sending harsh vibrations all the way through them both.

"Little known fact and Ratchet found this one out during a maintenance checkup, the seams just behind them, connecting them to his helm," Sideswipe ran soft fingers over said seams and Sunstreaker's engines purred as he groaned softly, legs shifting restlessly. "Tend to gather charge."

"Sideswipe, I swear to Primus if you keep playing show and tell I will flip you and take what I want!" Sunstreaker said through gritted denta.

"Uh huh. We'll see, Sunny." Sideswipe growled back, one hand hauling a leg over his hip.

Sunstreaker's threat made Thundercracker's breath catch; he would love to see that, his mate's passion unrestrained even if it _was_ with Sideswipe and not him. His spike was scraping against its cover, painfully stiff, so he finally released it, barely brushing over its tip with his hand. In his meta, he saw Sunstreaker's lips positioned over him, preparing to take him down deep... Thundercracker growled loudly. "If you need assistance in...keeping him there...I will be glad to aid you, Sideswipe."

Starscream moaned, hearing Sides so thoroughly, and rather expertly, take control of his twin. He remebered what it felt like to pin him down and have him, the tight squeeze of a little-used port caressing his spike. He gasped and swallowed Skywarp's spike, spreading him wide open. Skywarp shook in place, broken little cries escaping clenched denta. "Star. _Star_. Primus, Star, you feel so fragging good when you do me like this."

Sideswipe's lips quirked. "You are... Welcome to give it a try, TC." Sideswipe purred. He was itching to surprise his mates himself. He could hear them and oh did his processor conjure up so many delicious images. "I can even get some of his favorite toys out..."

"Do it." Thundercracker's words weren't a request; they were a command, and he rose fluidly to Sunstreaker's side, looking down at him for only a moment before slamming his lips onto Sunny's for a devastatingly passionate kiss, filled with all of TC's want and heat.

Skywarp was getting close to his first overload; Starscream was _good_, phenomenally good at sucking spike, and Sky's hands caressed the dark helm in a jerking slide. A steady stream of curses and moans flowed from Skywarp's mouth, and he thrust upward gently, wanting as much as he could get.

Sunstreaker's sound of surprise was swallowed by Thundercracker's claiming glossa in his throat and he groaned as his brother moved off. His servos wrapped around Thundercracker's forearms as he lost himself in the kiss, mouth wide and sealed over his lover's.

Sideswipe smirked at the scene before going to their stuff in the corner, not yet unpacked, and dug for that special box and opened it. He removed the well used stasis cuffs, leg spreaders, a toy vibrating gun in the shape of a null ray (they would refuse to explain that) and his personal favorite to use on his brother, a vibrator made of three large balls, each with randomized settings on them.

Thundercracker mapped out Sunstreaker's mouth with his glossa, growling low in his throat almost continually. His plating was almost scorching hot, and his spike trembled in the air, leaking freely enough that whatever it touched slid smoothly due to the fluids. His hands gripped Sunstreaker's arms, holding him down in an iron grip as he waited for whatever Sides was to bring him.

Skywarp's voice broke suddenly and he clamped his hand on the back of Starscream's helm, pressing him down hard onto his spike as he overloaded. Starscream's wings shook and he groaned loudly, swallowing the hot jets of transfluid as fast as Skywarp filled him. Skywarp's pants were loud in the room, and his gaze set on Sideswipe, optics filled with need. "Bring some of that over here so we can tease Star till he offlines."

Sideswipe shuddered, his optics darkening in arousal. "I'm not opposed to it." He grinned dropping the toys beside Thundercracker, taking an image capture of their locked mouths before going back for the box and dragging it over. "Wanna dig through and see what we find? I think there are things I've forgotten about in here."

Sunstreaker groaned, shifting. He turned his helm away to unlock their lips so he could vent properly for a moment and regain his bearings. "Frag TC..." He panted.

"Yes, I do intend just that." Thundercracker said lowly, a small grin on his face. "However..." He studies the oddly shaped vibrator, running the tips of his fingers across Sunstreaker's interface array. "So this...hm. I can control the vibrations separately. This large one, against the back of your valve." Thundercracker dragged his fingertips across his own spike, using the fluids there to slick up the toy. He pressed it against Sunny's entrance, staring into his optics.

"If you please me, love, you can have me as hard as you like." he promised, his valve suddenly clenching in want.

Starscream was far too aroused to do much of anything but moan in desperation; he was stroking the rim of his own port until Skywarp took his hand away.

Behind him, Sideswipe suddenly crowed and held up an object which he showed to Skywarp. It was a small ring that was placed at the rim of a valve. At first glance it looked like an overload inhibitor, but neither of the twins had actually been keen on trying those without knowing what they were doing. No, this little contraption sent sparks of charge through the valve's lining. Sideswipe grinned, but this was for later. For now... He set the toy aside and scooted up behind his lover on his knees, hands pressing at the hinges before stroking firmly out. "Careful there Stars. Don't forget you're sealed again."

Sunstreaker gasped, optics brightening as the ball was pushed in and he whined softly, legs falling open to allow easier access for the large, rubber toy. "Thundercracker!" He gasped, grasping at his lover.

\ "I cannot decide if I wish to tease you with this or just have you, love." TC remarked softly, biting down on Sunny's neck. He pressed in deeper, though, altering the setting so that the largest section barely pulsed, while the middle vibrated furiously. His free hand drifted toward Sunstreaker's hip, where Sides had shown him the wires that made him stiffen and cry out..and Thundercracker loved to hear Sunstreaker's voice crack in desire. Those fingers dipped inside, stroking softly.

Skywarp looked at the object, not sure what it really was, but his processor was so fogged he barely even cared. Starscream rocked back into Sideswipe, moaning softly, his optics offline. Skywarp captured his hands, not letting him touch himself now...it was for them to take him, for them to give him a new memory of being taken for the first time.

"Love you, Stars..." Skywarp breathed, and Starscream stiffened. This was the first time in vorns that Sky had told him that...and his spark whirled in his chest, overjoyed.

"Please. Please. Want it. Want you both." he whined, pressing himself into Sideswipe's plating.

Sideswipe smiled softly, running his lips down Starscream's backstrut to the edge of his hips,nibbling gently as his hands trailed up the leading edges of Starscream's trembling wings.

Sunstreaker cried out, writhing. His pedes scrabbled at the berth and his valve flexed down on the balls, sensors going insane with sensations. It was too much and on instinct he reached to pull the toy out. It felt good but frag did it tease him and bring him little relief!

Starscream shuddered hard. "Sides, for the love of /_Primus_/." His valve was going /_insane_/ with want right now- the sensors sparking charge off nothing, the clench on air, and the pulsing heat that made him want to shove /_anything_/ in there to get some relief. He couldn't, though, not with Skywarp holding his wrists in an iron grip, and certainly not with Sides doing /that/ to his back and his wings.

"Want you to take me." he begged. "Please!"

Skywarp laughed softly, holding his trineleader still since he had already been given some pleasure. "You want who to take you, Stars?"

"Sides, please, want you in me!"

Thundercracker caught Sunstreaker's hand, leaving the toy jammed only halfway into Sunny's valve. "No." he said softly, trusting that he would listen and leave it there, would allow TC to shove it in as far as it could go. He pressed deeper, his fingers now twisting the wiring in Sunny's hips.

Sunstreaker whined, his hips moving in circles as if Thundercracker were already in him. "TC please!" He begged. The toy was driving him crazy!

His hips twisted again and he buried a cry in the berth padding, fingers clenching on whatever they could grasp.

Sideswipe purred. "I'll take you how I was taught, sound good?" He breathed as he nipped at the ruby aft before moving lower. He swiped his glossa over the opening, groaning at the taste of his lover. "Don't think I've overloaded you like this yet."

Starscream shuddered. "Like you were taught?" he asked in a shaky voice. Oh, the glossa on his valve...so nice, he loved this feeling and never got enough of it. "Don't stop, Sides, please!"

Skywarp gently arranged them so that Sides had fuller access to Starscream, the former Air Commander on his back, wings twitching on the berth, and he tugged Sideswipe between Star's thighs so that he could watch every moment of this. He held the crimson twin's hands high over his helm with a single hand, his other hand tracing over his still-sticky components.

Thundercracker's breath hitched and he fought the urge to remove the toy and just take his mate hard, but he stopped himself. He wanted Sunny completely undone. He activated the third and final vibrator, changing the pules to a steady roar, deep inside Sunstreaker. He pressed the toy inward with one hand, holding it against the nodes in the back of Sunstreaker's valve and he kissed his mate once more, moaning against his lips at the taste, at the feelings of closeness. When he broke off, he spoke in low tones.

"Sunstreaker, I want to see you. Writhe for me, I want to see you overload just from the feel of this and the idea that it is _I_ who controls your pleasure, it is _I_ who brings you to heights that no other can."

"Like I was taught." Sideswipe confirmed before diving for the delectably tight valve with it's delicious lubricants again. He wiggled his glossa in, the tip of it running gently along the seal and he moaned, making sure the vibrations traveled to the valve lining. "Overload for me Star. I know you're close."

Sunstreaker's back arched completely off the berth and his howl of pleasure was lost in his lover's mouth as he writhed in desperation. Lubricants leaked past the ball at his entrance which clenched and unclenched erratically. He thrashed on the berth, really torn between disobeying Thundercracker's request and taking the thing out or listening and doing just as his lover asked.

"-Primus Sideswipe! Whoever...taught you was-" Starscream keened aloud, his back arching as the charge overwhelmed him. "Please!" he cried, hips canted back so that Sideswipe could take him, could claim Starscream as his in this definitive way. "Just...now!"

Sky silenced Starscream's cries with a long, slow kiss, nibbling at full, dark lips with every indication of pleasure. He still held Star down, the clamp incredibly tight and incredibly stimulating to one who enjoyed restraint as much as Starscream did.

Thundercracker was almost at his breaking point. Sunny's thrashing, his own spike throbbing almost painfully, and the cries that he could feel...he slid the toy out, and almost in the same motion replaced it with his spike, slamming _hard_ into his mate with a loud cry. His hands clamped down hard on Sunny's hips and he jerked him onto him even as he thrust inward, his optics locked onto Sunstreaker's.

"Cannot- resist you." he managed, panting heavily.

Sunstreaker's cry of pleasure was cut halfway out. His vocalizer had fritzed and he writhed on a silent scream of pleasure under his lover. Long golden legs wrapped around the blue waist as his hips moved on their own, valve working on his lover's spike.

Sideswipe growled and grabbed Starscream's hips, sliding his finally released spike into the clutching wet heat. He felt the seal give under his thrust and he held still with a gasp, waiting for his lover to adjust.

Thundercracker saw this and _screamed_, almost sent straight into a processor-melting overload by the mere sight. "Sunstreaker. Stay with me. Sunny, yes!" he hissed, keeping the pace set, slamming harder with every stroke. He didn't want to _hurt_ him, but frag...this was amazing... "I love you. I love you. Let go for me, Sunstreaker." he whispered, holding his mate close to him. "I want all of you."

Skywarp jerked, Thundercracker's scream washing over his processor with like a torrent of white-hot lava. His felt himself grow hard again, and he watched Sideswipe take Starscream intently, his hand palming his own spike.

Starscream cried out at the sudden pain, his hips freezing in place. The growl had made his legs shake, and he moaned softly, moving back into the thick spike almost tentatively. "Sides, please!" Apparently Sideswipe knew what he was doing, though...he didn't move, he just stayed there, allowing Starscream to adjust. It reminded Star of those who he'd taken for the first time..Skywarp, for one...

"Remember this?" he moaned. "When I took you for the first time, Sky."

Skywarp nodded frantically, squeezing his length rhythmically.

As soon as the clench eased a bit and Starscream started pressing more into him unconciously, Sideswipe started again, drawing almost all the way out before moving in again with a roll of his hips. He did it again and again and again until an even pace had been set and he was panting as his spike struck home each time. "Oh, Star, you feel amazing!"

It wasn't so much the command this time as it was the wash of almost painful sensation left from his brother's demonstration, Thundercracker's kisses and the spike moving over energy sensitive nodes after being teased so throughly. His spine snapped in a wave like motion, valve clamping and milking his lover for fluids as he trashed soundlessly in the throes of pleasure.

"I've heard that before..." Starscream mumbled, and several things became very clear to him all at once. Iacon, so long ago, and a very young mech who had been quite adamant about keeping his identity concealed...though now that the connection had been made, Starscream wanted to slap himself for being such a forgetful fool. Sensation threatened to steak his rational thought, so he moaned loudly, arching back into Sideswipe's thrusts with definite intent.

"You like this? Want to do it again and again?" he said, echoing the memory in his processor. Apparently, Sides remembered well, how to take a mech for the first time without harming him much..."I remember." he gasped.

"Need you, Sunstreaker!" Thundercracker said as he overloaded hard, his lips moving soundlessly in between his words and gasps. "So beautiful...my love, I want you, I need you..." His tone was totally unlike any that Sunny had heard from him; so passionate, intense and the ring of truth was so clear that everyone could hear it. He withdrew abruptly and let go of Sunstreaker, spreading himself out wide on the berth, waiting for Sunny to do as he wished. "Want you." he repeated, optics glittering.

Sideswipe was hardly listening however, trying to focus on not just slamming into Starscream. His overload was approaching fast and the provocative sounds and ways the Seeker's body twisted was doing... funny things to his already painfully sensitive hardware. "G-gonna go soon Star. Overload! For me!" He gasped.

It took a few moments as the overload tapered off for Sunstreaker to gather himself with a growl and launch himself at his mate. In no time at all, he was hilted inside of his lover, hips moving in a vicious counterpoint to the hands spreading over Thundercracker's wings with gentle, controlled stokes.

"Sides...!" Starscream wailed, his valve convulsing wildly just as Skywarp overloaded again, his transfluid striking Starscream all over his chest. His aft arched backward, into the thrusts, and he cried out again, his wings twitching. "Harder! Harder, please, Sides, I need you in me harder, fill me, fill me all the way up, I love this, love it so much..." he called, incoherent with pleasure. "Mine then, mine now." he whispered, his overload sending his processor into a thousand fragmented thoughts, memories and feelings merging into one perfect moment between his mates.

Thundercracker wrapped strong legs around Sunstreaker, wordlessly urging him deeper and harder, meeting each solid thrust with one of his own. His lips quivered, and his wings flexed in Sunny's gentle grip. Soft cries fell from his lips with each small movement, and Thundercracker smiled up at his mate and willed himself to open, wanting to share his spark with Sunstreaker, needing that ultimate closeness and not caring who happened to be watching.

"Sunstreaker..." he gasped, his hands slamming to either side of his head. "Make me yours as you are mine."

Sunstreaker snarled, hands twining and holding Thundercracker's where they were. He watched as his lover's cockpit and then his chestplates moved, revealing the brilliant golden spark to him. He repeated the motion, opening himself to Thundercracker in all ways, his thrusts becoming more desperate as their sparks reached for each other before melding. The little sparklet danced in joy, darting to and away and then back to meet its sire's spark.

Sideswipe roared as the clamping valve sent him over, his transfluid filling his lover even as he continued to thrust a handful more times to prolong the pleasure. As soon as it tapered off, he slumped forward on his lover, hands clenched on the beautiful plating. He smiled, laving soft kisses across the nearest wing surface. "Sorry, babe. What were you saying? Was too busy pounding you into oblivion to pay attention."

When Sunny pinned his wrists to the berth, Thundercracker felt his world suddenly tilt sideways. His processor blanked and he cried out wordlessly, his head thrashing back and forth...until Sunstreaker pressed them together, allowing him to feel the first tendrils of energy from his spark. He could even feel their little one- Cloudchaser, he thought, and a strange little zing shot through his sensornet at the name- and he felt his love swell, the feelings of pride, love, and perfection twining through them both..or was it all three of them?

Thundercracker lost it, the wave flying out from him to destroy yet another mirror, the sound-without-sound followed by a loud boom, and he bit his lower lips straight through to stifle the scream from his overload. "Don'tstop!" he squeaked, unable to speak normally.

Starscream shook his head at first, and that's when Skywarp smacked _him_ on the helm for a change. "Tell him again." the younger Seeker virtually ordered. Starscream shivered from the lips on his wings, and he finally nodded, poking Skywarp in the chest as he did so.

"Sides...do you remember practicing Jet Judo in the ruins of Iacon, some, oh, ten million years ago?"

"Did that alot, Stars." Sideswipe chuckled, pulling out of his lover with a hiss. It was hard to ignore the sounds coming from his twin and his lover but he had his own mates to love on. "What about it?"

Sunstreaker wailed, vocalizer crackling with charge again. He crushed his frame to his lovers, his mates and he sent back his own pulse of absolute love.

Thundercracker himself could not speak, not aloud. He could barely think between the harsh pounding that was tempered by emotions that he honestly had never thought were ever for him. His optics flickered offline, and he could not see, either...but he could feel. He knew Sunny was there, could feel him above him, over him, _in_ him in more ways than one, and he struggled against the hold. He did not fight because he thought Sunstreaker unworthy; he fought to show Sunny that he _**was**_.

"Finish it!" he cried, his vocalizer fading to static after just those two words.

"Who was _your_ first lover, Sideswipe?" Starscream asked, his lips twitching in an attempt to hide a smile. Skywarp just looked curious, and he held onto Sideswipe from the front, using a cloth to clean up the mess he'd made of his mate's plating. "I know who yours was, Sky, so you hush."

"Was you, Stars, in the Spire of Vos right on the floor. Buncha brass almost walked in on us, too." Skywarp said promptly.

And Sunstreaker did, flaring his spark brightly as he thrust with one last harsh swing of his hips. He overloaded with a shout, transfluid spilling into his lover in a hard jet. He fell to TC, breathless.

Sideswipe snickered some before he became thoughtful, trying to remember that far back. "Hmmm, well, was towards the beginning of the war sometime I think. Just transferred to Prime's unit and got put on a punishment patrol. Uh... Actually, now that I think on it, it was a Seeker." He murmured. "Really pretty one too. It's really foggy, cause I kinda pushed it away. Can't really afford to have feelings like that in a war, ya know. He took me in the ruins of Iacon. First time I was all tied up too."

"What else do you remember, Sideswipe?" Starscream's tone was deliberately low, purring almost. His hand ran down the right side of Sides' face, caressing gently, and Skywarp began rubbing Sideswipe's shoulders expertly, getting the knots out as best he could. That sonic boom, though.. .it had set everyone's sensors off, and the vibration was pleasantly annoying.

"TeeCee do you THINK you might be able to hold yourself back just a LITTLE? They're gonna think we're killing each other in here!" Skywarp said with a grin.

"Fragoff." TC mumbled, arms wrapped around Sunstreaker. It felt good to have him on top of him; the weight was just right, and he was _warm._

Sunstreaker snorted. He buried into his mate's plating, quite comfortable and feeling the sparkling dancing with the energy rush.

"Hmmm..." Sideswipe thought on it more, relaxing into the attention with a purr. "He was... red and white... Really gentle about it too. I think ... wait..." Sideswipe's optics snapped on as something clicked and he stared at Starscream wide eyed. "No fragging way..."

\Starscream smiled widely. "I tried to kiss you, and you wouldn't let me."

"The frag not, Sides, Star's an awesome kisser...not as good as me, though." Skywarp said quickly.

"I was the newly appointed SIC, and he...Was an Autobot. A pretty one, one with the bearings to actually _jump on my back_ while on patrol." Starscream said, the memory becoming clearer now.

"He is happy?" Thundercracker asked, placing his hand over Sunstreaker's spark chamber. "Are _you_ happy, Sunny?"

"... Yeah." Sunstreaker mumbled, curling against Thundercracker. "You always make me happy, TC." He rubbed at his chestplates. "Love you."

"I remember that! We'd just started our Jet Judo routines and I wasn't very good at it. I forgot to jump off when you crashed..."

"You crashed right ON me." Starscream said with a laugh. "And then you were going to _part me out_ or something...so I shot you."

Skywarp laughed aloud at that. "'S that why you have a vibrator that looks like Stars' null ray?"

"I love you." Thundercracker said softly, his arms wrapping once more around Sunstreaker. "I also believe I owe you a repaint, do I not?"

Sunstreaker's engine purred at the idea and he raised his helm to look at Thundercracker. "I do believe you do, lover." He leaned forward and kissed him slowly and lazily. Not meant to arouse, just to be affectionate.

"I plead the fifth." Sideswipe grinned. "Not getting a word outta me."

"Mmmm." Thundercracker said, returning the kiss. This felt...almost better than the 'facing. It _did_ feel better, in some ways. He didn't know how to explain it, and somehow the words "I love you" just didn't describe it adequately at all. His fingertips traced sigils on Sunstreaker's plating, precisely drawn. "I suppose I should tell you that I have the supplies- your shade, in the gold fleck, from Ratchet? Along with specialty wax...that part I _can_ do for you, once you get your touch-up." He'd do anything, he decided.

TC wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. He wanted to hold Sunny in front of the world, show how proud he was of his mate, how beautiful, how strong and talented.

Starscream cocked an optic ridge. "A null ray vibrator. Siiiiideswipe? Something I may need to know, love?"

Sunstreaker's optics brightened and he positively beamed. "I like the sound of that." then he heard Starscream's question and smirked evilly. "Sideswipe has a weapon kink."

"SUNNY!" Sideswipe squawked indignantly.

Starscream positively _purred_. He wasn't wearing his weapons, but he knew that such things were sensitive...though not even he had tried _that_. "Dangerous, Sides...do you trust me?"

Skywarp's optics went wide. "Are you seriously going to-"

"It has the right shape, near enough." TC said, surprising everyone. His meta was filled with the idea of Sunstreaker, stretched out, while TC rubbed him with a soft cloth covered with fragrant wax. That thought was doing things to his senses that were likely illegal.

Sideswipe's own optics had gone wide. "I... you... Are you really...?"

Sunstreaker gave his lover an odd look, raising on his arms over him. "Right shape? Really? I always thought he had it made like that because of his thing for Seekers."

Garnet optics stared up at Sunny, and TC shivered at the sight. "Right shape...looks like a perfect model of Star's weapon...Sunstreaker." He trembled under him. "If you stay like that, there may be repercussions."

Star rushed to examine the thing, turning it over him his hands. His valve ached a little, but it was a _good_ ache...and he flicked a small switch, setting the thing to hum.

Skywarp had a better idea, and he disappeared right out of bed, reappearing across the room where Starscream had stored his null rays. He retreived the right one, as they were designed to fit precisely, and handed it to Star with a wicked gleam in his optics.

"Repercussions?" Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Sideswipe groaned and covered his face with his hands in embarrassment. Why did Sunny have to say anything? "Kay guys. Not that big a deal. Not the only one with a weapon kink."

"Star's got so many kinks he may as well be one, Sides, so don't worry." Skywarp said matter-of-factly. Starscream took _that_ opportunity to whap Sky on the back of the helm, and the dark Seeker just laughed. "Weaponkink, sizekink, _authority_ kink...what else, Stars? Oh, bondage, rough 'facing, bit of submission though he's hot as hell on top when he wants to be..."

Starscream stifled the urge to strangle Skywarp, mainly because it wouldn't accomplish anything. "_Sky_. Or shall I tell him about _yours_?"

Skywarp's pale grey faceplate literally flushed, and he shook his helm quickly. "Nuh uh. No."

"Oh, it is not a bad thing...but you are making me want you again. I thought that it was you who was supposed to have increased drive?" TC teased gently.

"Oh, I thought Seeker's had a reputation." Sunstreaker said, but not cruelly.

"Well, yeah, but... I was, I dunno." He scratched the back of his helm and sat up. "What are you doing?"

Thundercracker purred. "I will demonstrate that 'reputation' as many times as you are willing, love." He could feel himself beginning to heat up _again_, and privately wondered if it were possibly to deactivate oneself from 'facing too much. He did have another idea, though...

"Sideswipe." he said slowly. "You showed me a beautiful thing, and I thank you...would you like for me to do the same?" He looked intently at Sunstreaker, grasping his hand and sending a wave of love through his EM field. "I...know my trinemates."

Skywarp trembled at the thought; Starscream looked oddly dazed, contemplating that. "You can't handle us both, TC." he said teasingly.

Thundercracker shrugged. "We need to renew our trine bond anyway. We have not done so in nearly an entire solar rotation."

"I wanna see that." Sunstreaker said first, optics shaded. Yes, he was jealous. But the idea of watching his mate easily dominating his trine was indeed very enticing.

Sideswipe stared and contemplated. "Yes." He said with a slow, easy smirk.

Sunstreaker grinned and climbed off his mate, holding his hand out for the vibrator. "You got to tease Warp." Was all he gave as an explanation.

Thundercracker kissed Sunny thoroughly, catching his lower lip between his denta. He whispered, too softly for anyone but Sunstreaker to hear, "Remember. It is you." He handed the toy over, rising to his feet, heedless of the mess on his thighs.

Starscream looked at his trinemate apprasingly; Primus, but that frame was powerful, strong, and undeniably sexy. Star didn't love him, but he wanted him...wanted what TC could do to him and for him.

Skywarp's expression turned predatory, and he bit down on Sideswipe's neck cabling. "Go with your twin and watch us." he said seductively, wiggling hs aft for the benefit of all in the room.

Thundercracker stopped and considered his trinemates, one lying on the berth on his back, the other sprawled on his front. "Come here." he rumbled. "Now." His optics flashed and his spike began to stiffen as Star deliberately slid off the berth, his panel wide open and his hips swaying. Skywarp deicded to play the defiant, because it was so much fun..

"No, TC, I won't. Make me." he said, licking his lips.

Sunstreaker shivered himself at his lover's tone, grabbing his twin firmly around his waist and dragging him to his lap, back to front. They had a rather good view this way and he could almost see his brother's optics following the swing of Starscream's aft. He waved the vibrator in front of his brother and smirked at the shiver from his brother.

TC gave Star a significant look, and the former Air Commander sank gracefully onto his knees, waiting. Skywarp, on the other hand, sat up, his ruby optics flaring. "Make me." he repeated, blatant challenge in his tone. TC growled lowly and moved with lightning speed, his hand wrapping itself gently around Skywarp's neck.

The darker Seeker shivered violently, his wingtips twitching- it was obvious this did not hurt him. He struggled weakly against the hold, but his smaller frame was no match for Thundercracker, who forced him to his knees right next to Star.

"Skywarp...occasionally enjoys being 'made' to do things." he said quietly, only a slight hitch in his tone. "He is also unique...he does not have a preference between spike or valve, which makes him a very...versatile partner."

Starscream whined softly, moving forward toward his wingmate, and TC growled at him, grasping his wing and twisting it just this side of too hard. "Sensors on the edges...both of these are hypersensitive here, Skywarp to the point where you can overload him just by touching his wings alone." Skywarp moaned at that idea, and TC let go of his neck, shaking his head. "But he was defiant. More is the pity, Sky..." That voice was like honey poured over velvet wrapped in thunder.

Sunstreaker buried his whine in his brother's shoulder, optics firmly fixed on the scene before him. Sideswipe wasn't doing much better, his hands clenching and unclenching on his thighs. He was watching his lovers with intense optics, ideas and future scenarios already mapping themselves out in his cortex. He gasped when a hand suddenly palmed his panel and then moaned softly as deft artists fingers expertly massaged the sensitive metal.

TC's optics pierced through Sunstreaker as he touched his brother, heat flooding his circuits. He unsubspaced several sets of stasis cuffs, and began to bind Star to the berth, his arms up by his face, his legs opened as wide as the could go. Thundercracker then help up a small metallic set of chains, and nodded significantly.

"These are wing bindings. They hold a Seeker's wings immobile, which can be anywhere from pleasurable to insanity-inducing, depending on what you do while they are worn. These have been modified for Star...they emit a light electrical pulse at random intervals.

Starscream whimpered from his position on the berth, his hips canting upward as best they could. The scent of his lubricant was strong, and TC slid a finger inside Starscream, pumping slowly several times, withdrawing it to fill Skywarp's mouth with that same finger.

Skywarp sucked on it and purred, and while he did that, TC took a pair of plain cuffs and bound Sky's hands behind his back, locking the cuffs right below Skywarp's wings so that there was no way he could slip them.

"Oh Primus..." Sideswipe whispered, before biting on his lower lip.

Sunsstreaker had, by this time, released his own spike which was fully pressurized and pressing into Sideswipe's aft. Sides vented shakily, leaning back into his brother as lips worked over an audio horn and something vibrated against his inner thigh.

He didn't need to look down to know what it was.

Sunstreaker, for his part, was completely focused on his mate aside from his lips teasing his brother's sensory horn. His optics shone bright with desire as his hand continued to work at his brother's stubbornly closed panel.

TC looked at Starscream and nodded. He took an oversized vibrator, one that was...considerably larger than the twins had, and flicked it on. He ran the buzzing tip across Skywarp' wings, causing the Seeker to cry out, throwing his head back. "Please!" he moaned, and Skywarp wasn't one to beg for anything.

"See? So sensitive...and he wants more. Sky will have to earn it, though...pleasure him." he ordered, taking Skywarp's helm vents in hand to guide him between Starscream's spread thighs. Skywarp striggled some more, but it was obvious that he was incredibly heated- a wet sheen covered his inner thighs, and his spike jutted proudly into the air. Starscream writhed, able to see and hear but not _move_, and Thundercracker placed his hand over Starscream's spike, squeezing it just hard enough to prohibit overload. "And to delay a mech's overload may seem cruel...but it isn't."

Skywarp stopped fighting and dipped his head, his glossa stuck out to lap at the fluids that painted Starscream's thighs. TC moved his hand, and made Skywarp take the head of Star's spike between his lips...and both bound Seekers moaned in unison.

Sideswipe whined, his panel finally losing it's battle to stay closed and it snapped open eagerly. Lubricant dripped from his valve and onto Sunstreaker's digits, drawing a rumbling purr from his brother. Frag, his mates looked... Frag. He had no words.

Sunstreaker growled, flicking the vibrator around the rim of his brother's valve, delighting in the sudden cry.

Thundercracker's voice crackled with static. As Skywarp licked and sucked at his trineleader's spike, TC turned the vibrator on...but didn't shove it into Skywarp's valve. He played it on the edges of his wings instead, prompting a loud, sharp cry from the violet Seeker. He redoubled his efforts on Star's equipment, and TC purred, rewarding him with prolonged bursts right on Skywarp's left aileron.

Starscream moaned continually, begging with every other breath. His lips were parted, optics offlined...and TC growled. "Look at me." Immediately, Star met TC's gaze and gasped, his mouth falling wide open...and TC filled it, thrusting hard past those lips. Skywarp's movements became jerky without the vibration on his wings, until Thundercracker grabbed one and twisted, activating his sonics in such a way as to send that rolling charge through all three of them. He thrust quickly into Star's mouth, knowing that Starscream could take it, that he _wanted_ to take it.

And then he spoke.

"Starscream, such a beautiful slut. You look so _delicious_ with my spike between your lips. Such a good way to occupy that mouth, Star- you _will_ take what I give you, and you will _like_ it."

"Please tell me you're recording this?" Sideswipe asked his brother even past the distracting sensations to the rim of his valve.

Sunstreaker jerked his head once, watching Starscream's attention to his lover's spike and taking note. He wanted to be able to drive Thundercracker insane with skill... that he was unfortunately lacking. He bit into his brother's neck to muffle a moan of pure want as he imagined that spike that had taken him so many times already before shoving the vibrator in Sideswipe's valve turned on high to distract himself from marching over there and just riding his lover.

Skywarp raised off of Starscream's spike, and his breath came out in harsh, panting gasps. "Please. Please, TeeCee, I want it. Want to so bad, I ache inside." His lips trembled, a pale violet drop of Star's fluid trickling down his chin. Thundercracker growled lowly.

"But you did not wish to listen to me, Skywarp."

"Sorry! Sorry, TC, I won't do it again, just please..." His thighs were wet enough to shine, and Thundercracker roughly withdrew from Starscream, prompting a loud cry of dismay. That rigid dark blue spike breached Skywarp's lips roughly, though not at rough as he had been with Star, and he pressed down hard on the back of Skywarp's helm, prompting a high-pitched keen, muffled by the thick piece in his mouth.

Starscream writhed, needing something, his overload taken from him just as he was on the brink. "Please." he whispered, his hands clenching in the bonds. "Need something, anything, want to be full again, not empty...Thundercracker please..."

Through slitted optics TC took the vibrator he'd been using on Sky's wings and shoved it inside Starscream, making the Seeker live up to his name; a piercing cry heralded the almost instant overload the oversized object induced. The name that Starscream called out, though...

"Sides, I want you!" he cried.

Thundercracker was not in the _least_ offended; if he'd thought he could get away with it, he'd be thrusting into Sunstreaker right now, not Skywarp. His meta was assaulted with the memories from their times together, and that was enough to send him careening over the edge, pressing Sky's lips to his pelvic plating as he shot a load of transfuid straight down Sky's intakes.

Sideswipe whined loudly, both the cry from his mate and the vibrrator pulsing hot lust and want and need through his lines. "Oh please! Please, Sunny! Can't take it!"

Sunstreaker growled, overbright optics watching his mate as one hand worked his own spike while he twisted the vibrator in his twin's valve vigorously until Sideswipe's hips jumped and he wailed his own overload. Sunstreaker rode his brother's own pleasure until his own transfluid jetted out and coated his brother's lower back and aft.

Thundercracker had been watching both with his senses and his field, and he /felt/ it when Sunny went over. He withdrew from Skywarp's mouth, and stalked over to the twins, his control hanging on only by a thread.

Looking at the still-shaking red twin, he gently took his chin in hand. "Skywarp wants you." He even lifted Sides off Sunstreaker's lap, staring at Sunny with a blazing lust in his optics.

"Now...what do I do with _you_?" he purred lowly.

Sideswipe stumbled as he was set on his feet, the toy falling from his valve and leaving it tingling. That didn't stop him from pulling a Skywarp and practically teleporting across the room to get to his lover, hand feverishly tracing the area on his wings that Thundercracker had been teasing. "Primus Warp, Star. Two of you have my engines spinning so fast."

Sunstreaker stared at his lover with a lazy smirk, flicking transfluid from his servo. "Dunno, TC. What should you do?"

"Unbind me and I will _show_ you what you have been missing, pretty." Starscream purred, his voice finally steady enough to speak. Skywarp just stared at Sideswipe's spike with naked hunger. "Want that in me, lover." he said, lips quirking. "Could make Stars watch but he might kill us both." Skywarp's wrists were still locked tight at his lower back, and he squirmed prettily.

"Do not ask me that, Sunstreaker, or else you shall find yourself pinned to this floor with my spike slamming into you hard enough that you will feel it tomorrow." TC promised, staring at his mate.

Sideswipe snickered, but moved to do exactly that, carefully taking the bindings from his mate and leaning over to kiss him. "Put on a good show." He hummed, turning to Skywarp, spike pressurizing. "I don't know if I should unbind you however."

"I wouldn't be opposed to that." Sunstreaker grinned. "I like your spike." He leaned forward, running a finger down a shoulder vent. "So tell me TC, anything rev your engine so hard you shake?"

Thundercracker trembled. "When you...when you take me. And talk to me. Your voice is...intoxicating." He really never had enjoyed taking it until Sunstreaker had done so, and really, when he thought about it...it wasn't that strange at all. Sunny was like him- dominant. He wanted to be in control. When Sunstreaker took him, he knew that he could let go of it for a short time. He couldn't do that with Starscream- Star couldn't hold the control without losing his own, and Skywarp...Sky was a lovely, fun mech, but he wasn't what Thundercracker wanted. He wanted an equal.

He was fairly certain that he had found one. Also...

"You carry life within you, Sunny...and I helped put it there. That is...incredibly arousing." he admitted, feeling _very_ embarrassed. He pushed down his embarassment by grasping Sunny's helm gently, bringing their lips together in a soft brush. He wanted to see what Sunstreaker would do.

Star kissed back, an odd taste still on his lips- Thundercracker, even if he'd not overloaded, Star had had plenty to taste. He scratched deliberately across the plane of Sky's right wing, and the already tormented Seeker whined.

"Why not, Sides! I didn't do anything wrong! Please, wanna touch you two!" Skywarp's tone went from zero to pleading, and Star found it incredibly, incredibly arousing. He rewarded the Seeker with two fingers in his valve, thrusting hard.

Sideswipe grinned, kneeling in front of his lover and kissing him soundly, tasting the odd taste in Skywarp's mouth as well, but thicker. "Not punishing you." He purred. "I like you all tied up. You squirm pretty." His hand glided down to join two fingers with Starscream's in Skywarp's valve.

Sunstreaker immediately and unconsciously leaned in for more of Thundercracker's kiss. "You like my voice?" He purred. "And it's half yours, yes. I have half of you in me. Never heard the idea being arousing before. Wanna know a secret? I don't have many kinks that I've discovered. Always been the one in control aside a few occasions."

Skywarp shook between his two lovers, his wings pressing themselves closer into Starscream's touch. His legs spread more widely, and he ground down onto the fingers, his head moving back and forth. "More, more." he almost sobbed, his thought processes scrambled with need. Starscream added another finger, stretching Skywarp wide, and he gave Sideswipe a significant look. "We can." he said softly, thrusting harder into his wingmate.

"I love your voice." Thundercracker gasped. "And...tell me. What are your newly discovered desires, love? I will do anything to see you shattered in pleasure..."

The thought of half of him, within Sunstreaker, caused a wave of caring and lust to shoot across his sensornet. His. Both of them- the little one, and Sunstreaker. He had claimed, had marked him. Had created with him. A low moan fell from his lips, and his hips jerked, thrusting onto nothing but air.

[Sideswipe growled, leaning in to claim Star's lips over Skywarp's shoulder as he also added one more finger carefully, not wanting to hurt Skywarp for any reason. He made his own rhythm a counterpoint to Starscream's.

Sunstreaker took a moment to think, his cortex wracking for any and all conversations he and his brother had held on this subject. "Well, I prefer spike which I'm sure you already know although as I have stated I do love your spike. I like it rough... Although... I've always been... intrigued? With the idea of a blindfold. I love it when you go all dominant on me and take me like an animal from behind." His engine purred at that memory. "Some dirty talk is okay, that's more Sideswipe's thing though..."

Thundercracker's vent fans stuttered, then positively _roared_. "Stop, Sunny, or else you will not leave my berth for the next decaorn!" His hands stroked heated plating, and he nipped harshly at Sunstreaker's neck, toward the back where Sideswipe had showed him earlier. "Mmm, you make me want you every cycle we are together, Sunstreaker. And...I don't just mean interface...I want _you_, all of you, even the parts that you believe to be bad."

Skywarp gasped loudly, his thighs spread wide open now. "I know...know what you're gonna do, and will you just _please_ give it to me, I want you both in me now!" He could do nothing but shake between them, five fingers in his valve spreading slickness everywhere.

"We will." Star purred. "Gonna shove up into you and them we'll join...or else Ratchet will have my helm on a platter. We want you and love you, Sky. Show us." Star breathed, spreading his fingers out.

Sideswipe shivered himself. "Don't think I've ever shared a valve before." He said silkily. "And you do seem to enjoy being stretched. Remember when you and Star took me in the woods? Primus but did that feel good. Wanna give it back to you." He reluctantly pulled his fingers out, keeping optic contact with Skywarp and in plain view of Starscream, as he raised the two digits to his mouth and sucked them clean. "Mmm, taste so good Warp. Want you."

Sunstreaker gasped, angling his helm to give Thundercracker more cables to violate in his wonderfully dominating way. "Wouldn't complain about that either. As I hear it, _I'm_ the one who won't let _you_ leave the berth, lover."

"Then fraggingprimusdamnit just /take me/, you two, I can take it please!" Sky was desperate, more desperate than he'd ever been before with Sideswipe. A low whine escaped him as he watched his cromson lover suck his fluids from his own fingers, and again when Starscream bit him on the neck. Starscream's spike brushed the soaked rim, teasing Skywarp even more. "Want it, Sky?"

Skywarp recognized those words as an echo of what he did with Starscream, when he was being a tease, and he moved his hips again, wanting something _in_ him.

"You can keep me in your berth for as long as you want me.." TC said, biting down hard. He grabbed Sunny's wrists tightly and pushed him to the floor, laying most of his weight atop his mate. Thundercracker's spike dripped wetly across Sunstreaker's thigh, and he pushed forward. not quite entering him yet.

"If I start what I want to do right now, I _will not_ be able to stop."

Sideswipe snickered, hands carressing purple hips before grasping firmly as he positioned himself. "Both at once?" He asked Starscream. This was new territory for him afterall.

Sunstreaker yelped, both with the sharp sting of the bite and the sudden pinning. However, Thundercracker's weight above him did funny things to his systems and his internal core temp skyrocketed. He swallowed thickly, optics darkening. "Don't want you to stop." He whispered, angling his helm up to maybe gain a kiss. "Want you. Love you. As long as you want me."

"Want you forever, Sunny." With that, he angled Sunstreaker's legs far apart, hooking the left one over his waist. His hands remained firmly clamped down on Sunstreaker's wrists, his fingers entwined tightly. The look in his garnet optics was filled with emotion, and then they flared...just as TC thrust inward _hard_, the sudden slam sending waves of static over every sense that Thundercracker possessed.

"He can take it." Star said softly. "TC and I used to..." Skywarp nodded, circling his hips in an attempt to get something _in_ him already. he knew it would burn at the beginning, but he knew TC was bigger than Sides...

Sideswipe intaked deeply, letting the smellls of lovemaking fill him and he pushed into his lover, hissing at the heat and the slick slide that encompassed his spike. He moaned low, just as a loud cry of pleasure/pain filled the room from his brother.

Sunstreaker writhed, helm thrown back and optics shuttered through the sensation of his lover penetrating him roughly making his back arch hard and valve clamp with the sudden intusion. "Thundercracker!" He whined as soon as the initial shock had worn off.

Starscream pressed in as well, the pressure grabbing his processor, and a sharp cry rang out, followed by an almost soundless moan as Star thrust carefully inward. Skywarp writhed, optics tightly shuttered, and a series of curses, pleas, and cries for his lovers' names to never stop rang in the room...but not loud enough to cover Sunstreaker's cry.

"Yes, love?" TC moaned, snapping hs hips forward even harder. The tightness made him cry out, and his hands clasped Sunny's so tightly that there would probably be dents in the morning. "Talk to me." he gasped, quickening his pace. "Tell me what you feel. Tell me what you _want_, Sunstreaker."

Sideswipe moaned into the crook of Skywarp's neck, the pressure all at once good and almost to much. He thrust a little harder with each push back in, hands clamped tightly to Skywarp's hips to keep him still. "Primus Warp, that feels good!"

"Want you! Can't get enough! I'm yours!" He babbled, hips trying to match Thundercracker's brutal pace, the other leg curling up to hook around his lover's waist. "Kiss me! Fill me, please!"

Thundercracker's lips slammed onto Sunstreaker's, his denta nipping at Sunny's lips even as his glossa slid inside, claiming his mouth. His spike did the same to Sunstreaker's port, slamming in hard and fast, scraping across sensitized nodes and leaving heat behind. Thundercracker moaned into the kiss and he freed Sunny's hands to take his face between them, sealing them together. When he came up for cooler air, his voice was that low, rumbling growl that dipped into the subsonic range.

"Mine, Sunstreaker. My mate, my creation. My family. My love, beautiful love..." He whimpered, feeling his overload coming hard and fast, and he couldn't stop it. His form began shivering wildly atop Sunstreaker; he was about to lose it utterly.

"Slide with me, love." Star said to Sideswipe, locking Skywarp's hips between their hands. He moved all three of them, taking control of this, and he bowed his helm for a moment to just feel. Then Skywarp shocked them all. He opened his cockpit glass, and the laser core beneath.

"Twins need it. C'mon, let's share with our winglets. Star, so pretty, Sides, so strong...need you both, please don't...don't stop!" Skywarp's voice cracked, and he blazed in overload, the rim of his overstuffed valve pulsing and twisting around the dual invaders.

Sunstreaker groaned, arching and grasping at Thundercracker's own face to pull him back down for another deep kiss. He could never get tired of them. Like walking down the hall the other day and he'd just been having a bad one and TC had kissed him hard and slow right there. Or the quick ones snatched when passing each other or in the mornings just out of recharge. His hips picked up pace, small sounds and groans and sighs leaving his throat as his charge got higher, threatening to consume him. He stiffened when the charge peaked and pulled back to scream his overload.

Sideswipe grinned and let his chestplates split aside with gusto. His spike continued to move with Starscream's in the heated valve and knees slid further apart to brace himself. One hand pulled from Skywarp's hip to finger the restraints. "Should I let you loose for this one, baby?"

"Please!" Skywarp begged, wanting his hands free. He twisted his hips around to stimulate both his lovers, and ground his aft into their thrusts. "PLEASE!" he screamed, his spark energy reaching out toward Star's and Sideswipe's, forming an odd three-way merging pattern that had odd energy surges as the winglet sparks danced through their creators' energy.

Starscream answered Skywarp's scream with one of his own, crimson optics flaring brightly enough to resemble a flashfire. He freed Sky's hands with a single practiced movement, and Skywarp immediately reached up, one hand attached to Starscream's wing and _twisting_, the other buried in Sideswipe's back where his jetpack integrated.

"More!" he called, right on the edge.

Sunstreaker's screams got to him. They seemed to slam right into his processor, stealing rational thought. He slammed in hard and ground inward deeply, overloading almost painfully into Sunstreaker, chanting his mate's name over and over in a broken whisper. "Sun-sunny. Please, Sunny, please, I...AH!" Thundercracker's aftershocks tripped something in his systems, knocking him quite suddenly offline.

Sideswipe's strangled cry wreathed itself in with those filling their quarters. He thrust faster, harder as their sparks synched and feedback built the fire in his veins higher until he overloaded with a shout, pressing as close to both his lovers as he could.

Sunstreaker huffed with the sudden weight, grunting while trying to cool his frame as his Seekers pinned him where he was. He squirmed, overload weakened limbs refusing to do as he said and move the bigger mech off of him. Even if his spike still imbedded in him did feel good.

TC didn't move; he couldn't. His systems were still firmly shut down, and he had flopped strutlessly atop Sunstreaker, not even thinking about his greater size now. A soft moan came from his lips, though, after just a little while.

"Please harder, please harder!" Skywarp moaned incoherently. The stretch of two spikes was something that Skywarp enjoyed very much, but it tended to be very intense for all involved..especially when Star was part of it, and Sky tried very hard to ensure that he was. Sky's spark flared, wrapping their twins in its golden light, and Skywarp felt at peace as he went over hard, his valve nearly crushing the two spikes that thrust so well within him.

TC..." Sunstreaker groaned. "C'mon, you're heavy."

He finally managed to push him to the side just a bit, although it dislodged his lover's spike from his valve and he hissed with the aftershocks. Half of him was still pinned but he could work with it.

Sideswipe moaned softly, leaning into Skywarp, spark reaching to and around him for Starscream. He needed them like earthlings needed water. And their bitlets needed their sires just as much.

Thundercracker made a a weak "mrrrr?"ing sound, his optics flickering. He shifted just a bit, barely a movement at all, but it was enough so that he wasn't crushing Sunny. Words escaped the dark blue Seeker at the moment, though, so he just remained where he was, trying to put his processor back together.

Starscream wrapped his arms around Skywarp, stretching to include Sideswipe so that the three were locked together in a tight embrace,moving as one within their incoherent mate. The younger Seeker's optics were bleached white, and he rocked mindlessly, his spark energy wrapped almost completely around the two smaller sparks that seemed to dance in his field. Only small tendrils connected him to Starscream and Sideswipe...Skywarp's field, his spark, was connected to the twins.

Starscream gasped at that; he'd never heard of a creator-bond that started before separation, not any as intense as this. Then pleasure stole rational thought, and he moaned, holding tight. "With me..."

Sideswipe groaned, his charge building for another overload as he rocked with his lovers. "So close. Gonna take you with us." Sideswipe panted in Skywarp's audio, spark pulsing his love and desire and devotion.

Sunstreaker purred, rolling to snuggles with the larger mech. "Guess I did something right." He said, pride in his voice.

"Please." Sky gasped weakly, shaking uncontrollably. "they can feel us- feel _me_, Sides...please!" And Skywarp threw his head back, hitting Starscream hard in the shoulder, a loud call that seemed to rip itself from his vocalizer stopping only when the Seeker shut down totally, his form twitching. Starscream was with him, though a large thread of concern wound its way through the merge- he'd never seen Skywarp do anything quite like _that_ before, and Star hoped that Skywarp was all right. He took as much control of the merge as he could, guiding both of them toward a softer landing, his own systems screaming in beautiful release.

"Mmmm." TC grunted, wrapping his arms slowly around Sunny. "Mine. So...beautiful." he breathes, optics still quite offline.

Sunstreaker chuckled, squeezing his lover back. "Don't fall asleep on the floor." He murmured.

Sideswipe was close behind, his third overload of the evening making his spark flare brightly before he slumped forward, panting hard and shaking. ::Primus...:: He groaned through their bond, reflex reaction.

::CAn say that again.:: Sunstreaker said back.

"T'late." TC slurred, his energy levels somewhere near the bottom of the ocean. he made no more sound, only laying there with Sunny in his arms.

Starscream began petting Skywarp's wings, trying to bring him out of it. The overload had been especially intense, and Star wanted to make sure Skywarp was all right. He withdrew from his wingmate, whimpering at the loss of that tight heat, but he held firm with his hands, whispering encouragement into his audials. Skywarp didn't respond for a long while, his systems going through a full reboot.

Finally, his optics lit up, the ruby faded. "Wow." he said softly, a wide grin on his face.

"Can say that again." Sideswipe echoed his brother's own words just as softly. He pulled out too with a small sound of post-pleasure. "Think you can make it to our berth, love?"

Sunstreaker sighed, but snuggled in. He would have Thundercracker rub out the soreness in the morning. Or he wasn't getting any from him tomorrow.

Skywarp nodded, disengaging from Starscream and Sideswipe...and then he promptly fell over.

"Ow." he remarked. "Dizzy, Sides. Don't know why."

Starscream arched an optic ridge. "I _will_ take you to Ratchet, you know."

Skywarp groaned and shook his head. "Nuh uh, not going! Ill warp out of there!"

"You couldn't warp two inches right now, Sky!" Starscream snapped. He offered Skywarp a hand up, allowing him to lean on him. Skywarp's legs shook as he tried to stand, and he winced visibly.

Sideswipe stood, concerned. They had hurt him. And didn't that make him feel all colors of guilty. "Come on Sky. Ratchet can fix it easier... "

"No way." Skywarp said weakly, and Starscream gently whacked him in the back of the helm, much like Ratchet did to those _he_ cared about. "You've 'faced till you stuck to the berth and you didn't get like this; I want to know what's wrong with you."

"I've already comm'd Ratchet." Sideswipe said quietly, helping Starscream to support their lover on the other side. He guided them to the berth, laying Skywarp down carefully. "Please Warp? I'm worried..."

Thundercracker remained oblivious to this entire thing, which Skywarp was grateful for; he'd have simply hauled the Seeker in physically whether he liked it or not. Plus, he would feel four times as guilty for starting all this...he had been the one to instigate this, the one who had wrapped Skywarp so tightly that he could do nothing but submit to release.

Star sat next to Skywarp on the berth, a slightly worried look in his optics. At least if Ratchet came here, no one would stare...and the five of them were stained with fluids and paint transfer of all shades, including several paler streaks near Star's lips.

"'M okay, Stars, honest. I just fee a little weak and dizzy, Probably 'faced too hard or something." Skywarp said, not liking medics.

Then Ratchet came in, frowning, and made a beeline for the Seekers on the berth.

"The frag happened to _him_?" Ratchet asked, shocked.

Sideswipe turned concerned optics on Ratchet, the first thing blurting from his mouth being, "I think we broke him!"

Starscream snorted. "We didn't _break_ him." He turned to Ratchet to speak, but Skywarp interrupted him.

"Don't feel so good, Stars..." Sky's pale face got even more pale, if it were possible. His optics flickered again and then dimmed out entirely. Ratchet sighed and grabbed is scanner, moving with no particular haste, which made Starscream snap, "Will you _hurry_, he's offlined!"

"Offlined because you two...or was it three, I see three separate shades here...you three fragged him within an inch of his function!" Ratchet never had been patient with interface injuries; he found them, and those who had them, to be completely stupid. "What I _don't_ know is why his reserves are as low as they are right now...he _is_ fueling, isn't he?"

"Yes." Starscream bit out. "Regularly, just like the rest of us."

"Is he gonna be okay, Ratch?" Sideswipe asked. This is... not how he imagined his bitlets growing up without one of their creators.

"He'll be fine as long as he consumes enough fuel to compensate for too much warping and too much 'facing!" Ratxchet snapped. "Who does the maintenance on your warp generator?" Skywarp pointed sheepishly at Starscream.

"What's his consumption?" Starscream rattled off a series of percentages, and Ratchet shook his head angrily. "Talk to Wheeljack. That thing's way off."

"So it's nothing serious?" Sideswipe asked, relieved.

"Only if he warps himself into a wall because he hit stasis lock due to insufficient reserves." Ratchet said tiredly. "Really. Energon then the berth...and I mean recharge!"

Starscream looked rather embarrassed. "It can't be _that_ far off...I adjusted it just two lunar cycles ago..."

The red mech sighed in relief. "Thanks Ratchet." He murmured, reaching for Starscream's hand and squeezing, doing the same with Skywarp's.

Skywarp huffs. "Purple Seeker needs food now!" As Starscream looked blankly at his trinemate, he snorted. "Energon, Star. Please." His ruby optics widened, approximating the look of a turbopuppy.

Skywarp was good at that.

Starscream snorted loudly and went to get his lover some fuel, leaving him and Sideswipe alone for a moment.

"They love me already, Sides." Sky said quietly.

Ratchet butted in. "What do you mean?"

"Our wingets. They tried to merge with me." Skywarp explained. Ratchet just stared at the dark Seeker with a peculiar expression on his face.

"They did?" Sideswipe asked, happy with the idea. "Look! See! They know you love them too!" The red warrior climbed sluggishly into the berth with his mate now that the intital shock and worry had worn away.

Skywarp scooted over, knowing that Star would want him in the middle, and nodded. "I do." The admission was quiet but sure. "Didn't think that I'd be the kind, huh?"

"Is anyone a 'kind', Skywarp?" Starscream said, handing a glowing cube over to Skywarp. He had another, smaller one for Sideswipe, smelling of platinum.

Ratchet smiled carefully behind his hand and slipped out of the room, figuring he'd leave them alone. _He_ believed in the Seekers, even if nobody else did. Especially if Skywarp was trying to link to Sideswipe's twins...even the one who was not part of him.

"Well, Star, they say you have no spark, but I've seen it so that's a lie."

Sideswipe snickered, making a small face at the sight of the energon. The platinum _had_ made it taste better earlier but it still left a weird aftertaste. "Do I havta?"

"Yes." Starscream said with a mock-glare. "I refuse to have _you_ falling over as Skywarp did. You scared me, Sky...I thought you were glitching or something."

Skywarp sipped his energon, shaking his head. "No, just...very tired, you know? Like I did five warp jumps in a row, at max range. And then let you have your way with me. Which is kinda what happened, if you think about it. Do they have enough here? Fuel, I mean."

Starscream thinks about that for a little while. Did they? Especially for two carrying mechs?

"'Jack and Skyfire are working on a solar energy thing for energon." Sideswipe said, sipping at the small cube. He considered downing it all at once but he got the feeling that Starscream would glare at him if he did. Still, he finished as quickly as he could without chugging it. He squeezed the cube to disperse the field before snuggling into Skywarp's side. "What were you doing that you needed five maxed range jumps, babe?"

"Nothing." Skywarp said far too quickly. 'Just messin' around." Starscream didn't believe this for a second and his optics narrowed. Skywarp looked away, unable to meet Starscream's gaze.

He finished his cube and similarly dispersed it, resting his helm on Sideswipe's shoulder.

"Sky..." Starscream began.

"Really Star, it's okay. Won't happen again. I was just trying something."

"Trying what?" Stascream eyed Skywarp from across Sides' chest, where he too rested his head.

Skywarp sighed, offlining his optics. "Showing off for the Aerials."

Sideswipe grinned. He may have said something angry if the fear hadn't worn off as quickly as it did, but for now it just sounded like a Skywarp thing. "Really? And? Were they impressed?"

"Yeah." Skywarp said with a huge grin. "Though, Star...one of 'em flies almost as good as you do."

"What?" Starscream said, his voice teetering on the edge of a shriek.

"Yup! Skydive can do some of the best slag in the air..." Skywarp said, teasing his trineleader. "But that's okay. Still not as good as you, Star."

Sideswipe flinched, tuning his audios down with Starscream's voice so close and shrieking like that. He stroked the Seeker's helm. "Not a big deal Star. Just outfly 'em tomorrow." He sighed. "M tired."

Starscream actually purred at that, leaning into the touch. He, too, was tired, and Skywarp had already drifted off into recharge.

Thundercracker and Sunstreaker were entwined on the floor, and other than their different shades, it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Star could feel the caring in this room, could feel the thrum of life through his helm as he lay on Sides' chest plating. His sparkling was nestled safely within, dancing with his twin, and Starscream smiled, his optics falling offline.

* * *

><p><em>Reviews. They feed the muses...and there's eight of them. xD<em>


	13. Chapter 13

_Another massive update, so quickly after the last. Gotta grab the muses while they're talking!_

_As promised, more plot this go-around. There's still smut, because really. This story is all about the smut. There story in it is interesting, though. _

_Warnings for this chapter: Well, this one's a biggie. There's discussion of prior miscarriage, which could be a trigger for some. _

_Pairings: The usual._

_Disclaimer: Not mine, not katae-Nui's. We so love playing with them, though._

* * *

><p>"I'm boooooored..."<p>

"Shut up, glitch head. I don't want to hear it."

"But there's nothing to do!"

"There's plenty to do, you're just not trying."

It was quiet for several moments. "But Sunny, I'm bo-"

"You finish that sentence and I will chuck this controller at your helm!"

Sideswipe pouted at his brother from the berth he was stretched out on. Sunstreaker firmly ignored him, concentrating on his art program on their vidscreen. The red twin was going insane with boredom. He couldn't prank; it upset Starscream too much because Prowl was not against putting a carrier into the brig for a night. And Ratchet couldn't nix it because it wouldn't do any harm to the bitlets. 'Facing only sustained him so much and he had been told he couldn't go flying with his mates, something they all were disappointed with. He sighed again, shifting to stare at the door, waiting for the moment their Seekers would come in from finally FINALLY getting those stupid killswitches removed.

* * *

><p>Starscream folded his arms across his chest and flicked his wings at Ratchet. "So. Have we done what you want, yet?"<p>

"Yeah, I haven't slagged a single 'Bot." Skywarp said, quite seriously. Thundercracker was silent, as usual; he watched his trinemates, standing at near-attention next to the wall. Wheeljack and Ratchet were inside medbay, working on three tiny frames.

Starscream snapped his gaze over to Wheeljack and flickered his optics. "I still say that you need my help. You don't know Seeker frames, and winglets need more flexibiity in their joints than nonfliers do. Also, that armor seems awfully heavy for a sparkling." He pointed at the grey grounder frame, its lines defined and sleek. They would have had to be; Sunstreaker had drawn several pictures, and he demanded they be used to create the protoform for his Cloudchaser.

"They're fine, Starscream." Ratchet growled at the flier before Wheeljack could answer. "Wheeljack had plently of sparkling commissions before the war began and quite a few of them were winglets. Would you please stop terrorizing my staff?"

Wheeljack's vocal indicators were glowing a bright yellow in amusement as he went back to his work. Ratchet, despite his show, was extremely proud of his and Wheeljack's work. Slag anyone who said otherwise. Including nitpicky Seeker creators.

"Consider yourselves lucky we were even able to replicate the needed plating for sparkling protoforms! Primus knows the materials are scarce on Cybertron, which we have no contact with at the moment, and it was a miracle Wheeljack, Perceptor and Skyfire were able to find the right kind of mineral needed -"

"Actually, it wasn't that hard, Ratch. Earth is swimming with the right things if only one knew where to look -"

"Shut UP, Wheeljack!" Ratchet glared, prompting the engineer to close his mouth if only to keep from laughing out loud.

Starscream sighed loudly and theatrically, glancing over the smooth lines of the protoforms. They were grey, no paint as of yet, and were very close to Starscream's own model, with several small alterations. Thicker plating , for one...he frowned.

"A Seeker cannot go airborne if his armor is heavy!" he declared triumphantly.

"Sure he can, Star, he just won't be outflying his sire." Skywarp quipped, a grin on his face. He touched the little faceplates, imagining his first look at his winglet. "Say, are they gonna have red optics?"

"That's up to you." Ratchet said, before glaring at Starscream. "That will be modified with their first upgrade. In case you haven't noticed, this isn't Cybertron. It's an organic infested mudball that is not designed to be safe for thinner plated winglets. Plus, we are still at war. I'm sure you want your bits to have some sort of protection. And I doubt they will actually be flying before halfway through their second upgrade."

Starscream stiffened. "My winglets will /_not_/, I repeat, /_not_/ be fighting in this war."

"That's not my intention Starscream." Ratchet assured. "However, we have had incidents in the past with spies as well as a certain engineer's explosions that do in fact tend to cause minor earthquakes, NOT NAMING ANY NAMES!"

Behind him, Wheeljack flinched.

"It's a safety precaution. Prime has already stated he has no desire to see sparklings grow up to fight for their lives day in and day out. For that matter, neither do I."

"If anyone, /_anyone_/ attempts to harm these sparklings, I will end them so thoroughly that there will not even be the /_memory_/ of their existence." Thundercracker said, his voice deadly calm.

Skywarp nodded furiously. "Damned straight. Anymech'd frag with /_babies_/ needs to be worse than deactivated!"

Starscream sighed, shaking his head. "How much longer until we lose the death switches?" he asked Ratchet quietly.

"Right now." The medic grinned, quite smug that he's held his own in this argument. "Come on. Up on the berths with the three of you. Sooner we get those things off the sooner you're someone else's headache."

Skywarp let out a yelp of happiness, and even Thundercracker allowed himself a small smile as he lay down on his front. His trinemates repeated the action, and Starscream grinned. "How hard will Ironhide slag me if I look him in the face and say, "I told you so"?"

Skywarp laughed. "Wouldn't, Star, he'll put that cannon where you won't want it!"

Ratchet shook his helm with false exasperation. "Ironhide, surprisingly, his accepted your presence here. It would be the minibots I'd watch out for. And Prowl. He's a great mech, our Prowl, but prejudice runs deep. And grudges." He pushed the exuberant Skywarp to the berth so he could take the switch out, which took little time at all. Starscream followed and then Thundercracker after him. "There. Now you can go terrorize the rest of the ARK. Or better yet, keep your Pit-spawned mates out of trouble. Primus only knows Sunstreaker is probably about to strangle Sideswipe right now. And Primus forbid Sideswipe be /_bored_/!"

Starscream facepalmed; he had already noticed this, and endeavored to keep Sides from being bored at all costs. Sideswipe plus boredom generally equaled unparalleled chaos. "The tactician, hm. I have no dealings with him anyway. Those minis, though..."

Skywarp smirked. "I'll get 'em myself."

Ratchet snorted loudly. "You know, /_you_/ can go to the brig too, Skywarp."

"Nuh uh, I'll warp out!" Ratchet just smirked evilly and moved quickly, attaching a small item between Skywarp's wings where he absolutely could not reach it. "Go ahead, Skywarp. Try and warp."

Skywarp did, gathering energy...which harmlessly dissipated back into his systems. Thundercracker actually laughed out loud. "So you, too, have created an inhibitor for Skywarp."

"Oh, it took a little tweaking and a few dozens explosions, but Wheeljack managed." Ratchet smirked. He snagged the device back. "What was that about warping from the brig?"

"Frag off, Ratch." Skywarp said truculently. Starscream had one of those too, and Skywarp hated it. Even he had to admit that it was needed sometimes, though- Skywarp occasionally had a lot of trouble with self-control, and that would help him keep it.

"No thank you, Sky; Sides needs you more. Or maybe not; is that red I see on your thigh?" Skywarp looked down reflexively and rolled his optics; of course there was nothing there.

"You Seekers better be careful or else they'll spark YOU up as well. Use common sense!" Ratchet said. "Now get the frag out of here; I have work to do."

Starscream and Skywarp moved to go, but TC hung behind. They looked at him questioningly. "Go ahead of me; I need to speak with the CMO. Alone." TC added softly.

Starscream searched his trinemate's optics for a long moment and then nodded, leading Skywarp toward their quarters.

* * *

><p>Ratchet waited until the fliers left, turning questioning optics on the eldest of the Seeker Trine. "Alright, what's got your wires in a twist?"<p>

Thundercracker took a deep draught of cooling air into his systems befpre he began.

"I want to know how to bond to Sunstreaker." he said plainly. "He needs me, and if I could, somehow...then I believe it would help him in ways that his link with his twin cannot."

Ratchet looked at the big flier with unreadable optics for several moments. "You can't, Thundercracker. Sunstreaker only has half of a spark in his chamber. Sideswipe holds the other. You cannot bind to either of them. Not without killing the other."

Ratchet's very honest words struck the blue Seeker, and his expression froze. "I...see." He didn't, not really. There was always a way, isn't that what the fragging stories always said? His hands clenched tightly. "Not even...if we were to initiate a five-way merge?" The gestalts did it, he knew, but that was a /_lot_/ of energy in one place, energies that had no prior tie...except the twins. A Seeker trine's bond only resonated directly after bonding...

Ratchet's lips twisted. "I couldn't tell you. Most of what is known is based on already gathered research, facts or speculation. There is not one record of a successful bond. Those who tried, the one who bonded survived because of the support of their mate's spark. However, the bond was uneven on one side and it killed the other half near instantly as soon as the bond was complete. The surviving twin... went crazy about two vorns later. Split spark twins are not like gestalts or Seekers. Both of those have full sparks to bond with, granted it's a multiple bonding." the medic paused, crossing his arms and leaning against the berth. "The question here, Thundercracker, is do you really want to risk it?"

TC's optics dimmed, and the hurt was very, very plain on his face, here where no one but the medic could see it. "No." he whispered. "I did not wish to get the others' hopes up in any way, but...I needed to know." His hand shook just slightly as he released it from its clench. He looked away for a very long moment, regaining his composure.

Ratchet reached forward, placing a comforting and understanding servo on the Seeker's upper arm. "Thundercracker, Sunstreaker has problems. Many of them I am sure you know, if not all of them. And I can tell you this. In all the vorns I've known him, he has never been as happy as he is now. _Never_."

Thundercracker fought back a flinch at the unexpected touch; he had never liked to be touched...except now, except by Sunny. "I know. I have seen /_inside_/ him, Ratchet...I have seen, and I have accepted him for who he is. I just find it very difficult to understand, to realize that it is I who makes him feel such joy."

TC shook himself, almost as if to rid himself of the dark thoughts that plagued him. "I thank you for your honesty, and even your bluntness. It serves to remind me that I should not reach for more than what I already hold in my hands."

"Thundercracker." Ratchet said evenly, sternly and just a bit like a creator himself. "We will always strive for those we believe to be our other halves. It is not greed. It is love. You may not be able to bond, but Sunstreaker will have no other. And that you have chosen him, despite everything that has happened to him, is what keeps him with you. That you find him worthy enough to promise yourself despite knowing everything inside him is what gives him the strength to do this. Do not downplay it in light of something else." He squeezed the Seeker's arm reassuringly before adopting his trademark scowl and saying, "And if you ever hurt him, I will hang you from your wingtips as a ceiling ornament for the Dinobots to use as a pinata."

Thundercracker's optics lit up, garnet lighting his silvery face. "He is worthy and strong, Ratchet. He is worthy of far more than I could ever give...yet, I /know/ that he has chosen me. He will have me, and I him...and may Primus have mercy on anyone who tries to keep us apart." The smile on Thundercracker's face was one to remember, Ratchet decided, and he caught it for posterity...or to show as a reminder, when Sunstreaker got into one of his dark moods.

That said, TC's processor got stuck on the last part of what Ratchet had said. "What's a pinata?"

* * *

><p>Starscream and Skywarp walked free for the first time since they'd sought asylum on the Ark. The Autobots still looked at them as if they were some odd species of organic life, but they no longer changed direction when they saw the Seekers coming.<p>

Starscream felt...pretty good, actually. No more worries about being suddenly deactivated, and his trine was similarly safe. He was somewhat worried for Thundercracker, but he figured he'd find out about that soon enough.

Skywarp wanted to explore, but he received a semi-urgent ping from Sunstreaker, telling him to get his purple aft to their quarters before the Seekers were minus one red sportstcar.

The image that greeted them when they walked in was a red frontline warrior running past the door with a quick ' Hi, guys, bye guys!'. The second thing they saw was the rather pissed looking Sunstreaker as he ran after their mate, fingers looking to strangle the red menace who had broken out into song about hips lying and feeling right.

Starscream raised both optic ridges and shook his head. "Staying out of that one." he remarked, picking up a datapad. Skywarp moved to follow, but Star grabbed Skywarp's hand, pulling him down into the chair with him. "No. You stay here." he said, smiling.

"Whhyyyyyyy." Skywarp asked, his optics twinkling.

"Because we're waiting on Thundercracker to get here; I want to know what's wrong enough for him to approach the Autobot Chief Medic." Starscream explained, tapping his fingers quickly on the pad.

From across the room their was a loud crash, followed instantly by a creative litany of curses which was followed by howling laughter that cut off with a yelp. Sideswipe ran from the suplly closet they had been allowed that now housed an assortment of Sunstreaker's art supplies, Sideswipe's contraptions and plans and everything the Seekers had brought with them or managed to aquire since coming to the ARK. He dashed for the couch, ducking behind just as Sunstreaker stormed from the closet covered in an assortment of colored paints.

"YOU FRAGGING DEFUNCT SON OF A GLITCHED ASSMONKEY!" He howled. "WHEN I FRAGGING GET MY HANDS ON YOU-!"

Thundercracker could hear the confrontation before he saw it, and he supposed that that was a good thing; when he made it, walking rather faster than usual, he was greeted with the sight of a /_very_/ rainbow-shaded Sunstreaker. Successfully fighting off a laugh, he raised an optic ridge. "Sunny...?"

Skywarp positively /_howled_/ in laughter, high-fiving Sideswipe and even giving him a place to hide from his twin, right behond the dark Seeker. Star only shook his head in disgust. Sparklings. The lot of them.

"Not. A. Word." Sunstreaker growled at his mate as he stalked slowly towards the Seeker, or more specifically, the cackling frontliner behind him. "You, Sideswipe, had better start praying to Primus because when I'm through with you, you won't know your head from your aft."

Sideswipe stuck his glossa out before ducking behind his larger mate.

"Sunstreaker." Thundercracker said calmly. "Cease."

Skywarp knew that tone; it was THAT tone, the "you had damned well better listen or else" tone. He distracted himself by standing firmly between Sunny and Sideswipe, belatedly recalling that that these two had the skill and power to each take down a Seeker all on their own.

Carrying probably didn't improve their tempers, etiher.

Starscream bit back laughter of his own; he understood vanity, and Sunstreaker now looked like the result of a spray paint testing facility. Splotches covered the mech in a random pattern, and Sideswipe himself has a few shades on him as well, Starscream noted.

"Racks?" he suggested softly.

Sunstreaker's optic twitched and he continued to advance on his smug looking brother. "/_After_/ I take care of /_him_/!" He snarled.

"Ah, come on Sunny! I told you I was bored!"

"And since when have I ever offered up to be your entertainment! FRAG YOU! YOU BROKE THE FRAGGING REMOTE!"

"Are ya really gonna slag him cause he broke the remote, Sunny?" Skywarp just had to ask. "I mean, frag, they don't even do that on the Nemesis." It was about two seconds after that when Skywarp realized that he's put his foot firmly in his mouth with the insinuation that Sunstreaker was no better than a 'Con.

"Shut up, Sky, while you have the chance." Starscreama advised.

Thundercracker rolled his optics at his trinemates, taking Sunstreaker firmly by the arm. "If you have the need to 'blow off some steam', then you should /_not_/ be doing it by harming someone who is innocent...namely, your twin's little ones." With that, he firmly began dragging Sunstreaker bodily into the supply closet, a look of determination in his optics.

"You're next Skywarp! Slag o- eep! The frag, TC!" Sunstreaker growled, irritated to have been interrupted in his ire and having stumbled a bit when Thundercracker had suddenly began dragging him across the room again. "Hey! It's a mess in there! Just look at my fragging paint!"

* * *

><p>Sideswipe poked his head back around, and deeming it safe, he stepped out of Skywarp's shadow. "Ah, the TV remote is nothing. He's upset cause it switched off before the remote broke and he was watching an art program he's been waiting for. He's slagged me for less and vice versa... He's been really moody lately."<p>

"Thundercracker can deal with that, and if he deems it necessary, TC will allow him to take it out on him... because TC can take it." Starscream remarked, looking at the remote. "I can fix this, if you like?" He looked at Sideswipe, waiting for assent.

"Or TC'll frag it out of him, something." Skywarp giggled, not too worried about the threat.

Sideswipe looked at the closet consideringly. "Have they fragged in that closet yet? I know there's the one just off the command deck that's seen quite a bit of action..." He shrugged before giving Starscream a bright smile. "You'd do that babe? Awww! I knew you cared!" He threw his arms around the Seeker and squeezed tightly, inexplicably cheerful for some reason.

Starscream grinned and nodded, unsubspacing a small repair kit. He had the remote disassembled in record time, and he hummed under his breath as he soldered the broken wires; he, too, felt really happy.

Skywarp shrugged. "TC isn't the type to go and frag someplace just to say he did." He turned to the door, listening. "Can't hear anything either, and Siders, your brother is fragging LOUD."

Sideswipe laughed heartily. "He is, and he knows it. Why do you think he's in a habit of covering his own mouth? There's a reason I actually use stasis cuffs on him if I want to hear him scream." His gaze flashed. "Actually, Star here isn't that different other than he likes being heard."

Star flicked a bit of burned out wiring at Sideswipe. "Oh, but you _like_ hearing me." He reassembled the extremely basic bit of electronics and handed it back. "All done. And done better than the first time- those things have a fault in a critical circuit and I bypassed it."

Skywarp made a face. "Dork."

"Am /_not_/!" Starscream sounded remarkably like Sideswipe for a moment, and he stuck out his glossa.

"What have I told you about sticking it out when you won't use it?"

"Frag off, Warpy!" Star laughed, hard.

"That's great, Stars!" Sideswipe crowed, trying it out. "By the way, how'd it go with Ratchet? Switch free?"

"Switch-free, all three of us. And I saw Ratchet and Wheeljack working on the protoforms." Starscream said with a happy grin.

"Cloudchaser is gonna be SO CUTE!" Skywarp crowed. "They followed Sunny's drawing almost exactly-"

"But they are modified for heavier armor." Starscream added somewhat somberly. "Just in case.

Sideswipe frowned, instantly sobered. "Yeah." It was hard to remember they were in a war when he was feeling so happy. "Bet the winglets are still cute though." He said, smiling in an attempt to be jovial. It wouldn't be the first time he randomly broke into an odd fit of despair from mood swings. "Hey! I'm bored! And hungry..."

"Oh, they are, but no color yet...have we decided on colors yet?" Skywarp asked. He was taking this so seriously, the sparklings always in the front of his mind...which was a complete shock to just about everyone. He knew why it was that he longed to hold his creations, and Star's creation, or just about any little one he came across...but he wasn't telling. He always insisted that he just _did_. It was a _need_, to hold and shelter and take care of.

Starscream shook his head, sighing. "You don't have too long left, love." he said to Sideswipe, stroking over his spark chamber fondly. "And then we'll have little ones underfoot, and luckily for us, there are three...winglets raised by a proper trine, and I don't mean Thundercracker, boltbrain, so get that out of your head." he said before Sides could react to THAT statement. "We might as well be, trined that is. Who says you have to be a flier to be in a trine?" And wasn't _that_ something coming from Starscream. Skywarp grinned, though. It was nice to have a bit of the old Star back.

Sideswipe, who had indeed stiffened slightly at first, immediately relaxed into the petting, engines purring. ""Can't wait. I know Sunny can't either. He hates being so emotionally unstable. Well, more so than normal. Now can we do something before I /_die_/ of boredom?" He whined dramatcially.

"Wanna go fly?" Skywarp asked, grinning.

Sideswipe pouted, lower lip trembling. "I can't fly!"

"You can if we hold you between us." Starscream said quietly. "That expression, by the way, is _not_ becoming."

"I worked hard on it!" Sideswipe protested immediately, He reached for his mate. "S'posed to make me look hard to say no to." He humphed. "Can I really fly with you?" For some reason, the fact that Sideswipe was a master at Jet Judo seemed to have fled his mind.

"You really can. Just...let's /_not_/ tell Ratchet, okay? He'd pin me by the wings to the medbay walls if he found out I endangered you by taking you up with us." Starscream said, looking...concerned at the reminder of Ratch's temper. Yes, concerned, because the former 'Con SIC would never be /_afraid_/ of a medic.

"Let's go, Sides!" Skywarp looked very pleased at the prospect. "What you do is let us hold onto you. We fly in root mode...poor Aerials can't, and that has to suck!" He unsubspaced a cube for Sideswipe, handing it over. "But not till you have this. Oh, and me too." He removed his own, remembering to fuel himself.

Sideswipe cheered, downing the cube as fast as he could, Starscream's stern glare be damned. he was excited. He hadn't been outside the Ark (not really) since Ratchet had declared him second stage he was itching for something other than his comrades and his quarters and a fragging monitor to stare at.

Skywarp slammed back his fuel at the same time as Sideswipe, dispersing the field with a snap of his fingers. "C'mon, Star. Nowww!"

Starscream flickered his optics and grabbed one null ray, strapping it to his arm. "In case of..." He didn't finish the statement. Skywarp nodded, the idea of meeting up with Decepticons deflating him somewhat.

The Seekers led their grinning lover out of their quarters with a polite ping to Red Alert, informing him that they were going flying. Red shakily gave an answering ping, wishing them a good flight...but what went unsaid was that his cameras were now going to be quite centered on the sky outside the Ark.

Sideswipe whooped as soon as they were through the entrance to the ARK and outside, placing hands on hips and intaking deeply. "Sideswipe's back, world!" He crowed jubilantly. "And ready to wreck and roll!"

"No wrecking." Starscream said. He too felt good, going outside. The day was clear and bright, and the wind at a fair pace, meaning that flight should feel especially nice today. He got onto Sides' right side as Skywarp took his left, and he grinned. "Hold on tightly, please." They linked arms in such a way as to hold Sideswipe relatively still and took off in unison, not /_too_/ fast, because they knew Sides' jetpack was nowhere near as fast as a Seeker, even a Seeker in root mode.

Sideswipe cheered as his feet left the ground for the first time in ages it seemed. In his chest, the sparklings were active, reacting to his joy and the fields of their creators being so close. "Ha! Kind makes me miss Jet Judo." He teased.

"You c'n jump on my plating anytime, Sides." Skywarp purred, nuzzling Sideswipe's neck. Starscream took them higher, moving a bit faster. He pointed down. "There's your Ark from the sky. Everything looks so much better from up here...as much as I really don't care for Earth, it /_is_/ a beautiful planet." As close as they three were, Star and Skywarp had to fly precisely, not fouling each others' wings at all, keeping their thrusters clear of any sensitive plating. "After the winglets emerge, you will likely be required to fight again, love." Star said slowly. "I...know the Coneheads' flight-patterns as if they were my own." Skywarp glanced sharply at Starscream; he'd said, time and again, that they wouldn't get involved on this side of the war, and yet Star was offering tactical information?

"... I hope they don't make me fight. I mean... I miss Jet Judo and being in the thick of things and the adrenaline rush but... I don't want to leave them alone when everyone is off fighting. they'll /_need_/ me." He hoped they would need him at least. "And I do know how to slag Coneheads babe. You don't have to get involved if you don't want to."

Starscream shook his head as they gained altitude, though he wasn't going to take Sides as high as they usually went; his equilibrium chips would likely fritz out before they got halfway there. "I am /_not_/ going to allow /_them_/ to do anything that would harm my creation...or Sky's, or TC's. If I have to tell your slagging tactician what he's doing wrong, then I will." He kissed Sideswipe gently on the cheek before looking at Skywarp.

"Hold on." he warned, before taking all three of them into a spiralling loop.

Sideswipe yelped and then laughed in excitement as the ground rushed to meet them, knowing that neither of his lovers would let him fall. It was exhilarating.

Skywarp cackled, nipping lightly at Sides' neck. "Ever 'faced in the sky, love?" he whispered. Starscream game Sky a dirty look and shook his head. "No way in Pit, Sky. Not right now. Maybe /_after_/ the winglets are here."

Sideswipe whined and shivered at the idea. "But Staaaaaaar...!" The idea was so tempting and the images being fed to him were doing things to his imagination that should be illegal.

Starscream sighed. "I don't even know if the currents would hold us up long enough!"

"Doesn't have to take forever, Star. Take you hard and fast like we usually do up here." Skywarp purred, biting harder on Sideswipe's neck just to see him shiver again.

"Sides would have to be in the middle so our wings could hold us, dumbaft." Star said, laughing.

"True...so I can take him instead?"

Sideswipe moaned and shivered again. The air currents against his plating, Skywarp's warmth at his back and Starscream's to his side and the wind in his face. "Have I ever told you two that you rev my engines in all the right ways? Or that you are insanely and gloriously kinky."

"Yes, but I like hearing it." Starscream said, and Skywarp added, "I just like hearing you scream my name, Sides." The two Seekers rose even higher, just on the verge of /_too_/ high, and found a current, the warmer air catching their wings. Skywarp carefully maneuvered behind him, the windshear only grabbing him a little, and Starscream pressed his front against his lover in a slow grind.

Star kissed him, azure hands scratching deliberately across Sides' chest, and Skywarp freed his spike, as he was more than ready just by talking about this. It brushed along Sideswipe's inner thigh, hot and willing.

Sideswipe groaned into the kiss, servos seeking out the pectoral vents on Starscream's chest and his aft pushed into Skywarp as much as he could despite his support relying entirely on his mates. "This is exciting." He grinned against Starscream's mouth.

"It's slagging hot, is what it is." Skywarp groaned, one hand scraping across Sides' interface plating. "Wanna be /_in_/ you, overload you between us. You can yell all you want to out here..."

Starscream wrapped one leg around Sideswipe, which ended up hooked over Skywarp as well. He angled his wings to catch the next updraft and ground himself into the hot plating, his valve already wet and bared. "Fill me up, love. All the way. Sky'll thrust you into me, you know. Frag us /_both_/, and you'll feel him all the way up, and he'll tell you..."

"Fragging tight and good." Sky confirmed softly. "Love slamming my spike into you when you're so wet and willing for me."

Sideswipe groaned, his plating snapping aside eagerly. His spike extended, ready with just the images and the sheer excitement of this. His valve was lubricated and clenched with every cooler draft against it. He panted, one hand moving to wrap around Starscream's waist, the other reaching behind him to grab at Skywarp's shoulder vent.

Skywarp wasted no time in shoving hard into Sideswipe, his spike hot and hard and oh-so ready to slam into the crimson mech. Sky's self-control was nearly gone before they started; those fingers in his vent made him keen to the clouds, and Starscream gazed upon Skywarp and he moaned loudly, raising his hips enough to slide Sides into him, clenching down quite deliberately. The feeling nearly made his engines stall and he jerked several times in quick succession, panting through his mouth. "So /_hot_/!" he cried.

Sideswipe shouted with the forceful penetration that skirted pain/pleasure and then moaned loudly when he sunk into Starscream. He clutched his lovers closer to him as he adjusted and hung between them.

"_Yes_!" He cried.

"Yes what?" Sky said, thrusting forcefully enough to propel Sides into Starscream. "What? You want more?" He barely had the precence of mind to adjust his drift, and a full-body shudder moved him even closer.

"Yes is /_right_/!" Starscream said in a rushed voice, moving with them as best he could. This close, he could feel more than just Sides and Skywarp; two barely defined presences spun in joy, both at the closeness of their sires and at flight. He held on tight, trying to be the one who could fly them, the one who kept them safe. A human aircraft wasn't too far ahead of them, and part of him wanted to just ignore it...

"Yes more!" Sideswipe gasped as he moved with his mates. "Trust you not to drop me!"

The pulling heat on his spike, the solid presence in his valve and the two warm frames pressing him between them was intoxicating as well as the thrill of the possibility of falling. He was heating and each brush of air was like another hand carressing him.

"Not gonna drop you, Sides." Skywarp chuckled, slamming rapidly three times in succession. "'M gonna overload...really damn soon if you don't stop clenching like that...frag you feel good, so good on me, gonna fill you up Sides!" Starscream moaned and ground inward just as Skywarp thrust, literally trapping Sideswipe between them. He had an idea...but frag, he'd better keep hold of his senses. He pinged Skywarp, and out of long practice, the dark Seeker answered. They angled themselves straight down, dropping fast, the three of them slicing through the wind as if it didn't exist.

The sudden feeling of freefalling and the drop of his tanks as gravity took hold had Sideswipe tensing, clenching down on the spike inside of him as he held Starscream to him tighter. He wanted to scream in elation and fear, he wanted to ride the adrenaline to its high or its low. It all felt so good and amazing and he wanted it to stop, he didn't want it to stop.

"Starscream! Skywarp!"

"We love you, you know." Skywarp whispered, and that was nearly a first- Skywarp didn't say that often, if at all. "Love you so much. Love hearing you call my name, too, Sides. Do it again, but louder." He bit down on Sideswipe's neck, thrusting as hard as he could, the wind on his wings sending intense signals of pleasure through him and into his lovers. Star bit down on the opposite side, tweaking his trinemate's wing...and Skywarp shrieked loudly, overloading with a screech worthy of Starscream.

Star himself gasped, stifling his cries into Sides' shoulder, biting down and rocking his hips up into the hard thrusts...and then he heard jet engines, /_human_/ jet engines, and he gave not a /_damn_/ as they rode their mate in full view of a fighter jet on maneuvers.

"SKYWARP STARSCREAM!" Sideswipe howled into the wind, pain/pleasure shooting through his lines and he writhed between them, overload claiming him as transfluid erupted from his spike to fill Starscream.

"YES!" The cry was in unison, both Seekers shaking with Sideswipe between them, and Starscream, very vaguely, could hear the fighter pilot on one of the human radio channels trying to explain exactly what he was seeing to his command. He didn't give a damn, though, but they were quickly losing altitude to the point of a possible crash...and Starscream tried to pull then up and out of the dive.

It didn't work- the drag on his systems was too much. He choked out a cry. "Sky! I- I can't-"

"On it, Star." Skywarp gathered up an extra amount of power and the world flashed violet for a moment, and suddenly they were NOT in the air at all, but on the ground. Skywarp was /_good_/ at this- he'd transferred the power from their momentum into extra energy for his jump...and he needed it, because he wasn't used to taking three. That way, they didn't end up buried in Earth's dirt. Starscream staggered, his tanks feeling very queasy; he'd never liked Skywarp's warp gate, even when it saved his aft.

Sideswipe lay panting on top of Skywarp, watching the sky move in circles as his equilibrium chips raced to catch up with everything. He felt warm and pleasant and tingly, which was a good feeling. He nuzzled into purple plating, before pulling off of his mate with a groan.

"That is a definite must repeat."

"Not unless I can control myself enough to /_not crash us_/!" Starscream said. He couldn't /_believe_/ he'd lost control of his flight to the extent of not being able to wing out of the dive.

Skywarp nodded lazily as Star was laughing his aft off at the comms; it seemed that the humans didn't believe the pilot when he said he'd /_seen_/ three gigantic robots having sex in the sky. "Morons!" he sang happily. "Prime's going to hear of this, isn't he."

Sky only shrugged; he didn't care. His head rested against Sides' chest plating listening to the slow thrum of his spark. He did that a lot recently; Skywarp claimed that sometimes he could hear the winglets. Star didn't believe him, but Skywarp was so earnest and convinced that he never said a word; he just nodded and humored him. "Neb's happy that you are, Star." Skywarp said seriously.

Sideswipe purred. "They're both pretty active today." He murmured happily. One servo stroked Skywarp's helm. Suddenly his optics lit up. "Hey. How slagged do you think Sunny will be if I hugged him like this?"

"Don't know till you try. TC's prob'ly getting him out of that bad mood, though... Star. Star. Star Star **Star** get your head out of the clouds_ AIR COMMANDER_." Starscream finally looked over at Skywarp after hearing his former title, snorting loudly.

"WHAT, Sky?"

"You gotta repaint Sunny." Skywarp said simply.

"Again?" Starscream looked incredulous. "I just /_did_/ less than a quartex ago!"

"Sunny's high maintenance." Sideswipe grinned. "That you're the only other who can paint him as well as he paints himself volunteers you for repaint duty."

He pushed gently at the Seeker on his chest so that he could sit up and stretch, snapping his plating closed.

Skywarp moved with a pout, watching Sides stretch appreciatively. He nodded at his words, too. "Star, you're a good detailer. Always found that shade of violet that shines even in the dark for me."

"I make it, Skywarp." Star said seriously. "Give me a lab and I can make any color you want."

"Really?" Sideswipe's interest peaked. "Have you spoken to Perceptor about it? I know you and Skyfire haven't really talked..."

He hesitated there know the subject with Skyfire was a sensitive one for his lover.

Starscream frowned only slightly. "...No." And that was the end of that subject, as far as Starscream was concerned. Skywarp just tilted his head at the both of them; he hadn't known Starscream when he and Skyfire had been close, and he was curious.

"Did you love him, Star?" he asked quietly, grasping Starscream's hand.

He almost pulled away...but he didn't. "Skywarp, I..." He shook his head. "Yes. Yes, I did. But that was a very, very long time ago, and I was a different person then. We all were."

Skywarp nodded 'd been there for the aftermath, that was certain. When Starscream had the fluxes of trying to dig Skyfire out of the ice and was unable to find him. He squeezed Star's hand. "It's okay now. Skyfire's seeing that Aerial, the big one-" He stopped, realizing just how callous that sounded.

Sideswipe thought that maybe now was a good time to change the subject. "You know, I bet if those humans got an eyeful, Red Alert definitely did. Or whoever was on monitor duty."

Starscream shrugged, flicking his wings backward. "If he did, Red /_might_/ actually let up a little on us." His voice was soft, though- he'd heard those rumors, and he tried very hard not to let it bother him. He loved the two before him more, though, and the last thing he wanted to do was make either of /_them_/ think he was still pining away for that shuttle.. He didn't /_want_/ Skyfire, but...feelings never really go away completely.

Skywarp picked up on it, though...he'd known Star for too long not to. He smiled, and squeezed his hand. Before, he couldn't have done that. Showing affection on the Nemesis was asking for trouble, for both the giver and receiver. Skywarp had found that he was very tactile, always wanting to hold and touch...and of course kiss. So he took Starscream into his arms and kissed him, grinning. "'M better. Me and Sides. So stop it, Star."

"Yeah! You got us!" Sideswipe said happily, snuggling into both of them. "Now who's up for a shower and a stroll to the rec room to socialize? Primus knows you both need to get out more and I've been DYING for company other than Sunny! He's scary like this."

Starscream finally grinned. "Yes. Yes, I do. And I'm glad." A sudden thought came to him and he purred. "I /_did_/ manage to ruin you for every other mech, enough that you /_had_/ to come back to me." Skywarp giggled; /_that_/ was more like Starscream.

"Onward, to the racks! Sides, you need to learn how to /_properly_/ scrub wings; after all, you'll have four more to clean before too long." Skywarp snorted, shaking his head.

"I can do it if you're tired or whatever. My carrier...she used to always be too tired, cuz there were so many of us. She had lots of sparklings, one even a grounder." Skywarp revealed. At Star's odd look, Skywarp nodded. "Yeah, my carrier was a femme...designation Flamewreath. Dunno who my coder was- old Flame never bothered to find out."

Not even Starscream had known all this, and he'd known Skywarp for vorns!

"If it's any consolation, I don't know who my genitors are at all. Well, bits and pieces of them I remember, but not much." Sideswipe said, squeezing Skywarp's servo. "And I know how to wash wings fine! You weren't complaining yesterday when I had you squirming against the wall!"

"You were washing them then?" Starscream asked incredulously, not believing it for a second. He'd sworn that Sides had been /torturing/ him... Skywarp shrugged; he hadn't been in there at the time. He'd been painstakingly making sparkling toys- two little stuffed Seekers, marked like his trinemates. Unlike his mates, Starscream knew well who his creators were; both were long gone, and in one case, Star was glad of it.

They reached their quarters without incident, and Skywarp rushed into the racks, determined to be the first to have the hot water. It never ran out, not with the Ark being in a volcano, but it was still a new thing for the former 'Cons to have enough of anything, even something so simple as cleansing water for a nice, long soak.

"Yes." Sideswipe said with a wicked smile. "Yes I was. Jet Judo is handy for more than just combat." HE sounded quite proud of the fact. "Now hurry up! I wanna get the best table before it's nabbed!"

"Fine. That means you can't be fragging with my wings, though, or we'll NEVER get out of here!" Star declared somewhat imperiously. Skywarp only cackled in agreement, finishing first so that he could bring his supplies with him. He wanted his gifts to be just right.

Sideswipe pouted some, but kept his hands to himself. "Fine. I'll get ahold of them next time Stars!" He swiped at his plating, getting rid of the evidence of their lovemaking. He jumped when a loud cry echoed through their quarters. He stared at the door to the washracks. "That was Sunny, wasn't it...?"

* * *

><p>"Sunstreaker." His tone was wrapped in steel, and garnet optics flared. His own emotions were in an uproar after his talk with Ratchet, and he truly didn't want to see Sunny this upset. He unsubspaced a clean cloth and began to wipe off the worst of the still-wet paint. The stuff that was dry...well, that might take longer.<p>

Sunstreaker was scowling down at his chassis and the rainbow of colors. "What?" He said irritably, not so much angry as irritated now. But he refused to raise to the steel in Thundercracker's voice. He wasn't in the mood for a lecture on his health or the sparkling's health or stressing himself out. He'd had enough of those since this started.

"Care to tell me exactly what that was about?" Thundercracker kept removing paint, but some of this was some odd acrylic stuff and might take thinner to remove, which he knew was going to frag Sunny off even /_more_/.

Sunstreaker pouted. "Sideswipe's an aft. He knows I've been waiting for that program for the last month!" He scratched at some of the paint and whined, already knowing it wasn't coming off unless he stripped it.

"So, he did this intentionally to require you to miss your program?" Thundercracker asked, knowing the answer already. "You could go to the rec room where there is a larger screen..."

Even /_he_/ knew that was a bad idea. He pursed his lips. "Sunny, I am going to have to strip this off of you."

"I know." Sunstreaker said, a look of pure disdain flashing across his face at the idea. "I don't know why he did it! He was bored. Who knows what his reasoning is when he's bored. I swear I got the better half when we split."

Thundercracker stopped and frowned. "Sunstreaker, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Sunstreaker growled, swatting at Thundercracker's hand. "Stop that. I can do it. I'm not a slagging sparkling!" He might be carrying but he could still take care of himself frag it!

"I am aware that you are not a sparkling, Sunstreaker. I am /_also_/ aware that your moods are out of balance." He immediately removed his hand, more hurt from that than he'll ever let on, and stood back, his wings flaring. He stared at his mate, and considered...and then moved with lightning speed, pinning Sunstreaker's brightly hued form to a support against the wall. "Let go of it." he whispered. "You won't hurt me."

Sunstreaker immediately fought back, twisting in Thundercracker's hold. "Frag off, TC! Don't need this!"

"Just what it is that you think that I am doing, Sunstreaker?" He held firm, implacable, but he wasn't trying to press close to Sunny; he was only providing resistance. His stance shifted so that he wouldn't be unexpectedly thrown into a wall, but otherwise he was just /_there_/, a strong presence. "You need to fight? Fight /_me_/."

"I don't want to." Sunstreaker growled sullenly. "Shouldn't be this fragging angry!" Regardless, he kicked out, hating feeling pinned in place, hating the unexplainable anger at himself and his brother and right now everything. "Let go!"

"No." Thundercracker said. "I will not. You will harm yourself if I do. Channel your anger into something more productive, rather than struggling against me. You are not weak, are you?" Her had decided to push Sunny a little; if he didn't get this out, it really could be harmful not only to Sunstreaker and their creation, but to Sides and his little ones as well due to their bond. The though of a bond only hurt him /more/, and Thundercracker gripped more tightly.

"What the frag am I supposed to do! I hate this! I hate feeling like this! Let go or I'll slag you!" He hissed, struggling against the tighter hold, optics flaring angrily.

"I will not let go of you." Thundercracker said, his tone implacable. "If you need to release your tension then I offer myself. But you will /_not_/ be permitted to harm yourself." He pulled up Sunstreaker's right wrist, struggling the entire way. Sunny was strong, but he was stronger and they both knew it. That hand was pinned to the wall next to Sunstreaker's helm. If they were able to bond, if they /had/ been bonded, TC would have been able to show him instead of using words, fragging imprecise words. But he couldn't. Ever. _Never_. He felt his own anger well up inside him, and he thought about hitting the wall...but he didn't want Sunny to think he was striking out at him. "If you wish to be released, you have to earn it. You have to get yourself free."

Sunstreaker snarled, twisting in his lover's grip. In the pits this was not how you wanted to be pinned if you wanted to survive. Left too much vulnerable and was damned hard to free yourself from if your opponent was stronger. Which Thundercracker was. He tugged hard against the grip holding him, kicking out angrily with his longer legs to maybe get Thundercracker to back up and loosen the grip on his wrists. Or even bring his helm forward to headbutt the mech. In the back off his head, he didn't want to hurt his lover; it was the last thing he wanted to do. But he was just so /_angry_/ and he /_hated_/ it.

Thundercracker turned, letting go of one wrist only to keep hold of the other, using his shoulder to shove Sunny into the wall even more firmly. The kick connected and TC winced, but he didn't let go. His free arm wrapped around Sunstreaker as best he could, holding his chassis close enough that the angle was too awkward for much more kicking, at least anything remotely accurate. He could feel the anger, he could feel the confusion...but this was the only thing he knew to do, because TC was certain that if he tried to touch Sunstreaker the way he wanted to right now, it would cause him harm, both mental and possibly physical due to his tenseness. His fingers dug into the gap between shoulder and arm, cementing his grip.

Sunstreaker continued to struggle against the grip until he wore himself out, slumping and panting and shaking in Thundercracker's hold. "I hate this." He said quietly.

"I know you do, love." Thundercracker said. His own hurt felt as though it was squeezing his spark, and his hand drifted up to touch Sunstreaker's face gently. "I want to help you. I want to see you happy. When I see you happy, it helps me to not think of how I fail you."

Sunstreaker looked up startled. "You don't!" He said fiercely. "Ratchet says it's natural... I just hate feeling like this..."

"I cannot bond to you, Sunny. I...asked Ratchet." TC said abruptly. "If I /_could_/, I could support you through the link..." It was very clear that this fact bothered TC a /_lot_/ more than anyone realized. "All I can do is be here for you."

Sunstreaker gave Thundercracker an odd look, although there was disappointment there. "But it's okay." He said as if to encourage himself as well. "It's okay because you are here now. You are here for /_me_/." He tugged at his wrists again, wanting to touch his lover, to comfort him the way he was comforted every day. "That means... the world to me, Thundercracker."

Thundercracker let go of Sunny's wrist, looking down at him with a faint smile on his face. He didn't know what to say, not in the least. Everyone wanted a Seeker...except the quiet Seeker who wasn't nearly as frag-happy as most Seekers tended to be. Not the odd one. Not the one trined with the two most desirable fliers in the entire Decepticon faction, the one whose muted blues faded next to bright red and white and one the color of night. And then there was his dominance...most would shy away from it, misinterpreting. Sunstreaker had embraced it. He felt a wave of love that threatened to swallow him whole.

Sunstreaker reached forward to cup Thundercracker's face and with all the awkwardness he possessed, brought him down for a kiss. "I love you TC and as much as I hate this, these stupid mood swings, I would do it all again." He said heatedly, kissing him again.

The words came out on a breath of air, almost too soft to hear. "Never go."

"Never." Sunstreaker said, voice and optics hard. "Never want to let you go. Love you."

Thundercracker's response was a hard kiss, filled with everything he was feeling at the moment. He held Sunstreaker to the wall again but this time there was intent in his frame. One blue leg thrust itself gently between Sunstreaker's thighs, grinding gently against his panel, and Thundercracker unsubspaced a small something, holding it out of sight in his hand.

Sunstreaker laughed breathlessly into the kiss, only slight exasperation in his tone when her pulled back. "Primus TC, I'm going to start thinking you have a thing for supply closets!"

"I have a thing for _you_, Sunstreaker." he chuckled. "If you do not want me, however..." He moved to pull away, removing his hands.

Sunstreaker whined, immediately reaching after his lover. "Can't tease me like that, TC!"

"Why not?" Thundercracker murmured. "Maybe I want /_you_/ to do all the work...but, again, you are probably right." The object in Thundercracker's hand... he smiled, love radiating from his optics, and he gently placed the item on the side of Sunstreaker's helm. It was already active...and Sunstreaker's vision faded to black.

Sunstreaker's intakes hitched and his engine revved in excitement. "Wasn't sure you remembered this..." He whispered as every other sense began to compensate for the loss of visual interpretation.

"I will not forget something that you said would bring you pleasure, love." Thundecracker's voice was low, his tones ragged, and his hand brushed along the smooth curve of Sunstreaker's aft, fingertips dancing lightly. He stared at Sunny for a long moment- trembling lips, his head angled backward...and his hand clenching and unclenching in anticipation. He gently pushed Sunstreaker back more fully against the wall, his form covering Sunny's with no difficulty.

"Mine, for as long as you let me hold you." he said, bringing his lips down for a searing kiss.

Sunstreaker jumped in surprise, the touches intensified by the lack of vision and the kiss tingled on his lips. He groaned, pressing eagerly into it, searching for more and trying to convey his unspkoken feelings through it. His. Theirs. Forever.

Thundercracker slid Sunny upward, lifting him with ease so that his back was against the wall. He moved his legs around TC's waist, pressing far too gently into his plating, and he broke off the kiss, leaning his torso away.

"Beautiful and fierce, talented and intelligent...you could tear me into pieces, Sunstreaker, and yet you hold to me, you give yourself so fully to me...I love you so very much." he breathed, just looking at Sunstreaker. The form, while pleasing, wasn't what TC was staring at...he was staring at those unseeing optics, and the spark that lie beneath. His hands began stroking along Sunny's hips, the fingertips raeching in, TC's touch so uncharacteristically gentle. "I want to make love to you." he promised, kissing the golden twin again. "Tell me, Sunny, what you want."

Sunstreaker whined when Thundercracker pulled away as his feet left the ground to dangle in the air. He immediately reached for his lover again, hips shimmying into and away from this sneaky digits. "Want you." Was the usual answer. "Everything you want to give me. Make me feel!"

"Feel what, love?" Sunny's voice was turning TC on almost more than his reactions, and to hear more of it, he scraped his fingers over Sunstreaker's pelvic plating, sending small pulses through his fingertips. He'd never tried this with Sunstreaker. Starscream certainly liked it, but some did not appreciate the small EM pulses as they tended to feel "staticky", so Skywarp had complained.

Sunstreaker's vocalizer crackled with his surprise and the intensity of sensation. His hips jumped into the contact followed by a long moan. "Wanna feel you in me! Against me! ANYTHING!"

TC's optics widened at the intensity of Sunstreaker's reaction, and a predatory smile touched his lips. One hand remained on his lower plating, the other, on his senory fin, trading pulses back and forth with an increasing speed. "I cannot do a thing to you until you open for me, Sunny..."

Sunstreaker gasped and thrashed against the wall, hands reaching and grasping at whatever they landed on that belonged to the warm systems of his mate. He didn't know what area to focus on, the intensity surprising in its sheer sensation. He cried out and his panel snapped open on reflex to relieve some of the pressure and pleasure. "Please!"

"Say it again." TC's ordered, his voice low and rough. He slid three fingers into Sunstreaker, his other hand continuing to play upon his audial fins. This was likely playing all kinds of hell with his senses, but apparently it was pleasurable... so Thundercracker kept it up, his engines purring. He slid aside his own panel, considering.

"Pl-please!" The second time was nearly a whisper as Sunstreaker had to concentrate past the pulsing, wreaking havoc on his ability to even process words let alone speak them. He rode the three fingers in his valve desperately, hands clenching and unclenching on his lover's plating.

Thundercracker moaned loudly, and made his decision. He withdrew the fingers for the moment, caressing Sunny's helm, and gently pushed him down to his knees in front of him, his spike brushing one perfect, unmarked cheek. "It is /_my_/ turn to say please, Sunstreaker...I want you to do this for me. And if you do...you shall have what you want from me, you will have your choice." TC felt...comfortable giving himself up to Sunny; it felt right and good and all those things that were hard to explain.

Sunstreaker whined, still rather uncomfortable with this. Despite that first time, he didn't do this for Thundercracker often. He swallowed, steeling himself with a deep invent before blindly searching with his lips for the head of his lover's spike, his glossa peeking out to lick at the leaking head.

TC rubbed Sunstreaker's helm; it felt...damned good, but he could sense the hesitation in his mate's frame. He grasped Sunny's chin, sinking down to his level, and kissed him thoroughly, pulling the golden twin on top of him by the shoulders. "You need to tell me to stop." he whispered, not wanting Sunstreaker to feel uncomfortable. "Tell me to stop if I do what you do not want." TC gazed at Sunny and bit back a moan...this was /_his_/? How the slag did that ever happen? His hands slid over heated plating, and he reactivated the pulse in his hands, delving into Sunstreaker's right hip with one hand, and back into his valve with the other. "Say stop, Sunny!" he gasped.

"Thundercracker!" He cried, jerking with each tug to the wires in his hips and the pumps into his valve. Oh why would he ever want this to stop? It felt amazing. He wasn't afraid of Thundercracker taking him anymore. That fear had been washed away under the the seeker's attentive care and assurances and frag while he still loved using his spike, he didn't care if Thundercracker wanted his valve. "Don't want you to stop!"

TC gently tugged Sunny up so that he straddled Thundercracker, the Seeker's spike twitching hotly against Sunny's aft. "Want you like this so I can see you." he said, hips pressing upward in a slow, teasing thrust. His thumb grazed Sunny's spike housing, circling it, and he used Sunny's own lubricant to slick up his thumb so it could glide over the hot metal in teasing pulses. "Love being inside you." he whispered.

Sunstreaker hissed with pleasure, getting frustrated as Thundercracker continued to tease him. Without any warning he pushed himself further onto his lover's spike, hilting the mech inside of him with a groan as the head bumped the back of his valve.

A loud thunk of metal hitting the steel floor, followed by a loud, surprised shout of pleasure heralded Thundercracker's jerk upward, his hands flying to Sunstreaker's hips to steady him...and move him if he wasn't moving fast enough. "Sunstreaker!" he moaned loudly, the wet heat surrounding his spike almost too much, this felt too good, and he looked up at Sunny, his optics still inhibited, his movements unpracticed but incredibly , intensely good. "Move." he growled helplessly.

Sunstreaker couldn't fight back the smirk as he circled his hips softly, teasing his lover. Oh how the tides had changed. "I'm moving." He said slowly, tone soft and seductive and deadly all rolled into one. "But you didn't specify how."

He gave a sharp twist of a wingtip that he had blindly felt for.

Thundercracker's hands reached out, but he didn't grab Sunstreaker- it was so very evident by the look on his face that he wanted to do this, that he wanted to take control this way. So TC let him. His hands clenched and a high cry slipped from parted lips, his hips pushing upward into the slow grind.

"S-sunstreaker..." he gasped, his wing edge singing in a combination of pleasure and pain, that feeling that Sunstreaker gave him...and he held on to himself, did not allow himself to grab his mate's hips and jerk him down onto his spike. He waited to see what Sunny would do. "More. Faster..."

The golden warrior positively purred at his mates begging demands. The friction in his valve was just shy of not enough as he continued to rock gently, fully seated on his mate. "Not yet." He panted, biting his own lip to stifle the desperate sounds begging their way from his throat. His hands settled on Thundercracker's abdomen and he rose a little higher and a little faster, a moan falling past the block he tried to impose on his vocalizer. He was going to tease his lover to the very edge of control, and he followed his next roll with a squeeze of his valve.

"Then when?" Thundercracker's voice had dropped into a ragged whisper, and it was taking every ounce of self-control he had to just lay there and take it- the heat surrounding him clenched and released expertly, and every small movement made him want to scream. "Want to hear you, Sunny. Please. Ohhh...S-s...AH!" One particularly intense movement had him jerking up against his will, wings clattering on the floor and moving in the damp paint, marking him as surely as Sunstreaker was colored.

Sunstreaker cried out breathlessly, Thundercracker's jerk upwards prodding something sensitive deep inside and he leaned forward to brace himself better as he sped up, not quite as experienced as Sideswipe was, and definitely not as much as Starscream. So he rolled his hips as best as he could as the pleasure began to peak, charge racing over and across his plating. "N-not gonna last much longer!" He moaned.

"Sun-streaker!" Thundercracker moaned. This was...amazing. He could feel the slight unsureness with which Sunny moved, and he moved with him, words of love and encouragement on his lips. He looked into Sunstreaker's optics, faded, icy blue, and gasped; even though Sunny would not see him, he was looking at him nonetheless. "Never been this good.." he whispered, thrusting up now, wanting to give his mate the same pleasure he was feeling, the intensity... "More. Please. Give it to me, Sunny, ride me, ride me /_hard_/ frag it-" TC almost never cursed like this, not in interface. "Want to feel you around me, want this, want you forever..." he babbled, unable to /_think_/, only to feel.

Sunstreaker whined before he swallowed thickly and removed his hands from Thundercracker's abdominal plates to reach back and brace them on his knees. Using the different angle and leverage he lifted himself up, following the memory of watching his brother do this, and both Starscream and Skywarp. As soon as he could feel Thundercracker's spike almost leave his valve completely, he slammed himself back down, crying out before gathering the presence of mind to do it again. And again until he was lost in his own rhythm.

"Fragging Primus above me, Sunny!" Thundercracker howled, completely losing it. "Mine! Uuuuuhnnnnh, don't stop, fraggit, don't stop-!" It was the cries almost as much as the hard slam, the head of his spike impacting again and again with the top of Sunstreaker's valve. His hands grabbed Sunny's hips in a death grip and he physically /_moved_/ him, up and down and thrusting in a hard grind that didn't even end when he stiffened, overloading deeply inside Sunstreaker with a loud, high cry. His face was flushed, his mouth open, lips trembling, and every motion caused another cry to be released.

Sunstreaker howled, his voice echoing in the small space and most definitely heard outside their quarters even if only for a brief moment. His valve spasmed, milking Thundercracker's spike eagerly and squeezing hard enough to make Thundercracker feel almost too big. He let his mate move him until he collapsed forward, panting heavily and clinging to blue plating as the aftershocks petered away.

"Ohhhhh..." He groaned, shifting slightly to pull off.

"Yes." TC agreed, holding on to Sunstreaker tightly. "That sums it up nicely, I should think." He reached up and gently removed the optical inhibitor, resolving to save it for another time- it seemed that Sunstreaker indeed enjoyed the temporary loss of one sense in order to enhance the others. Thundercracker contemplated that for a moment, wondering how to trade off another sense...and smiled inwardly. He knew what he would try next time...and he knew there would BE a next time soon. "I have never had better." he said softly.

* * *

><p>Skywarp couldn't help himself. "Ummmmmmm, yep. Looks like TC got him out of his mood after all. Hurry up, guys, they're gonna need these 'racks soon, and TC _hates_/ it when we leave puddles everywhere."

Starscream grinned. Yes, it looked like his blue trinemate had learned to deal with Sunny's moods very well.

The Seekers dried themselves and the small puddles of cleanser and water, and Skywarp grabbed a small black case filled with a bunch of random Stuff. Starscream looked at it questioningly, and Skywarp shook his head, not saying a word.

"Ready when you are, Sides." is all he said, smiling widely.

Sideswipe's optics lit up and he whooped, grabbing both Seekers' arms and dragging them out behind them. He was craving contact with the outside world. He loved his mates and his brother, but the entire second stage was a blur for him. "Wonder who's on shift right now." He murmured as they made their way to the rec room.

* * *

><p>"And you never will." Sunstreaker said quite smugly. "I'm the best there is."<p>

He shuttered several times as his vision returned and he propped himself up on Thundercracker's chest to look at his smile. The golden warrior smirked pleasantly. "Don't you just look like the youngling who got into the goodies."

"Cocky, are you?" TC said, teasing."Cocky with your rainbow and gold paintwork. Maybe I prefer you this way; other will not look at you so, if you are covered in pretty dots." TC was only half-joking; part of him still wondered how he was able to keep and hold thsi beautiful mech. Especially after the sparkling separated... He shook his head, banishing the thought as best he could.

"I did get into the goodies, as it were...you are /_far_/ sweeter than any other treat I know of."

* * *

><p>The rec room was fairly busy, considering the time- mid second-shift in this world's evening. The television was blaring- some human cars racing around an oval track had caught the attention of a fair few of the mechs, andseveral small groupings were playing games, talking, or just enjoying each others' company. Perceptor and Wheeljack sat together, speaking in the arcane tongue of science, while Groove, Jazz, Blaster, and Air Raid were setting up some sort of music game in the far corner, with specially made controllers to fit Cybertronian hands.<p>

There was, of course, the table full of minibots, with Cliffjumper and Gears at its head. The sour expression on their faces was nearly palpable, and the hostility that struck the Seekers as they entered was almost strong enough to knock them over. Starscream stared, his fists clenching, as he worked to contain both his temper and his mouth. It wouldn't do to start something on the very day that the switches had been removed.

Skywarp waved to everyone cheerfully, determined to get along, even at the expense of his pride.

Sideswipe caught the minibots' looks and he shot them a rude gesture then waved cheerfully as if nothing had happened. This prompted a few snickers from some of the mechs standing around although many were watching the Seekers warily.

"Sideswipe!"

The upbeat voice had the red mech turning his helm to see Bluestreak waving at him and then motioning that they could sit with him, Bee and Ratchet who was surprisingly taking a break. Sideswipe was quick to drag his mates over to them, sitting them down and then happily plopping across their laps, onlookers be damned.

"Heya Blue! How's it hanging?"

* * *

><p>"I think the saying goes I'm convinced not cocky." Sunstreaker quipped before frowning at the mention of his ruined paint. "I'm still going to get Sideswipe back for this." He sat up and looked down at himself with an expression of deep disdain. He worked hard to keep his plating pristine and perfect and now he just looked like a multicolored mess.<p>

"I need to strip this."

"I can help you...and you can help me." Thundercracker said ruefully, twisting his head around to see the rainbow mess on his back. "That that is why you wanted me on my back..." he said, laughing.

"Star can detail us both. He will complain, but he will do it. It is one way he can show us that he cares...for so long, he was not allowed to show his caring for fear that it would harm the trine." Thundercracker explained."Plus, I have seen the shade he created for you. It is...slightly different from what you are used to, but I believe you will approve." TC was damned sure that Sunny would approve; he'd seen his mate looking at an advertisement in a human magazine, showing a picture of a car that matched his chosen altform. The shade was a different from his golden yellow, but as it turned out, the paint was incompatible with the metals that formed a Cybertronian's frame. Thundercracker had immediately went to Starscream with the pictiure...and Star had delivered.

* * *

><p>"Hi Sides and Starscream and Skywarp I haven't welcomed you to the Ark yet have I, well maybe I have but that was before they actually let you be free mechs, I never agreed with that killswitch idea because even a fool could see that you love them and well love can conquer all, so the humans say?" Bluestreak stopped to take a quick intake and Skywarp's optics widened comically.<p>

"Siders, he like this all the time?" he demanded to know. "Is this the bot that can shoot a hole through my insignia at four hundred paces without even /_trying_/?" His tone wasn't unfriendly; it was incredulous.

Starscream managed to process all that and shifted slightly so that Sideswipe could be more comfortable across his lap. "Well. Thank you?" he said uncertainly.

"Screamer can say thank you? Oh right you probably hate being called that, just like I get annoyed at being called Baby Blue all the time, isn't it funny how people call you weird names, lots of people here have odd names if you think about it, Cliffjumper for instance, if he jumped off a cliff he'd go splat which might be okay but even I don't want him deactivated, just /_quiet_/-"

"Blue, y'think anybody else can get a word in edgewise?" Ratchet asked pointedly.

"Yes." Bluestreak said cheerfully, used to this treatment from just about everybody.

"And now you know why _he's_ called Bluestreak." Sideswipe laughed.

Bluestreaker rubbed the back of his helm sheepishly, smiling disarmingly at the ex-Decepticon fliers. Bumblebee laughed as well, patting his friend's arm. "Welcome to the Ark." He said friendly enough. "Suppose you know who I am, but as introductions go, I'm Bumblebee."

* * *

><p>"Really?" Sunstreaker asked, intrigued despite himself. "Well, we can drag him in here to do it later. Sideswipe's bugging me about joining them for some social interaction." His tone was sarcastic as he stretched and then smirked back at Thundercracker. "And you know TC? Green is _not_/ your color!"

Thundercracker smirked. "At least /_I_/ do not have a gigantic pea green splotch on my aft. It looks like Devastator tried to grab you..." He stood up and stretched, offering Sunny a hand up. "The racks first." he said seriously. "Then the rec room. Hopefully there will be no more incidents."

* * *

><p>"Yes, I do believe I understand it." Starscream said with a small smile. "Bumblebee...I know of you. He extended his left hand, palm up, in an old Vos greeting before he thought further. He just held his hand there, feeling somewhat stupid...how would these mechs know anything of his culture?<p>

Apparently Bumblebee knew more than Starscream thought because he placed his hand atop Starscream's, fingertips touching his palm. A small smile touched the yellow mini's lips. "Know more than you think, Starscream. When you came to the Ark, I educated myself. Nice to know new friends and allies." he said simply.

Skywarp looked at Bluestreak suspiciously, and he set his box on the table, opening it. Inside was his sewing supplies and he glared around the room, just /_daring_/ anyone to say a word.

"Oh! I didn't know you could sew, Skywarp!" Bluestreak enthused. "That's really very cool! It's really hard I hear because you have to make sure everything lines up although really if you think about it, it never really lines up otherwise you wouldn't be able to stuff anything because the curves would be all weird if you did that, but I suppose it's a lot like how Wheeljack has to guess on where he welds something although most of the time I'm pretty sure he gets it wrong and -"

"How's that going, by the way?" Sideswipe cut in, fighting the grin that threatened to split across his face at Ratchet's muttered, 'Like a runon sentance with legs, by Primus...'

Bluestreak gave Sideswipe a confused look. "How's what going, Sides?"

"Oh, you know... The seducing Wheeljack thing."

Bluestreak's faceplates lit right up as he spluttered in embarrassment, optics darting to where Wheeljack was talking to Perceptor.

"Leave him alone, Sideswipe." Ratchet growled. "Not everyone has the amazing ability to find perfectly competent lovers who know flirting when they see it." The medic smirked. "Or have the interface drive to knock you offline... repeatedly."

"The femmes are visiting soon, Ratch. Heard Chromia telling 'Hide how much she's missed you bent over that desk you love so much." Sideswipe quipped back, wasp swift.

Ratchet scowled. "You are so lucky you are carrying right now."

* * *

><p>"What?" Sunstreaker twisted to see and then cursed at the various paint splatters down his back as well. He rushed to the washracks, desperate to get this off before it ruined his finish further.<p>

* * *

><p>Skywarp snickered loudly at the two mechs' responses, pulling out the half-finished form of the first...plushie, the Internet site had termed them. This one was rather larger than most human-sized plushies, as it was for a little Cybertronian, not a baby human. The cloth was slightly fuzzy in places, smooth in others, and was sturdy enough not to tear even in tiny metal hands. This one was the dark blue one.<p>

Bluestreak had recovered sufficiently to be able to speak again, and looked at Skywarp's project in interest. "Hey, that looks like Thundercracker, except it's a little Thundercracker, why are you making a soft Seeker?" That was a positively /_brief_/ statement, coming from Blue, but he was still casting glances toward Wheeljack.

"It's for my winglet." Skywarp said happily.

Bumblebee's light blue optics lit up. "Oh, so they're fliers?" Virutally everyone on the Ark knew this already, but Bee thougth he'd be kind enough to show surpirse. Skywarp's own face lit up, and he nodded vigorously.

"Yes, twin Seekerlings. Mine and Sides and Star's."

Starscream interrupted, "Why don't you use their names, Sky, so others will get used to hearing them."

The rec room's door opened and in came Sunstreaker and Thundercracker, both of them looking a lot worse for wear with paint splotches in random colors all over their plating. Gears took one look and positively /_whooped_/ in laughter; Sunny just glared at him, using the same gesture Sides had used before. They made a beeline for Sides and the other Seekers, and Sunny put his hands on his hips, frowning at Starscream.

"Paint." he said, as if that were the most important thing in the universe. "TC too."

Starscream snorted. "I don't /_have_/ that shade of blue ready yet."

"You can't expect me to walk around looking like this!" Sunstreaker said incredulously, glaring at the cackling Ratchet. Even Bluestreak was hiding a giggle or two in his hand. Sunny whacked him (softly) upside the helm. Bluestreak was the first friend between himself and Sideswipe. He cared for the younger mech quite a bit, although he tended to get annoying when he ran off with his words.

"Aw, come on Sunshine! Now you can say you /_are_/ the art!"

"Don't call me Sunshine!"

"You are my sunshine, my only Sunshine..." Skywarp sang in a surprisingly tuneful voice, watching closely to duck a similar blow.

"Do /_not_/ antagonize him." Thundercracker said, rolling his optics.

"Yeah, I better not, there's no supply closet nearby." Skywarp retorted, and TC really /_did_/ whack him in the back of the helm, prompting another round of giggles from Bluestreak and Sideswipe. Starscream just crossed his arms and sighed, looking at Ratchet with a faint grin. "See what I have to put up with?"

"That? That is nothing." Ratchet snorted, jerking a thumb to Wheeljack who was wandering over now. "You think Sideswipe is a terror..."

"Hey!" Wheeljack greeted cheerfully, Perceptor leaving the room for his next shift. "Things are looking interesting over here! Thought I'd join you." The engineer glanced around for a seat before Bee got up.

"Here, 'Jack. I have patrol right now anyways."

"Aw, thanks Bee!" The inventor's helm fins lit up brightly as he sat next to the suddenly very stiff and quiet Bluestreak. "So Sunny, your protoform's almost done."

Almost immediately, Sunstreaker's attention shifted from scowling at his paint to staring at the inventor intensely. "He looks like the sketch I gave you."

"To a T, as the humans say." Ratchet grinned, quite proud of himself and Wheeljack. "Been a while since I had to work on a protoform, but I seem to still have my touch."

Thundercracker nodded firmly; the engineer /_had_/ done an excellent job, even incuding such small details as small protrusions, reminiscent of tiny Seeker wings, on the protoform's shoulders. The style was definitely not standard, but Cloudchaser would be as beautiful as his carrier if Thundercracker had anything to say about it.

"When do we choose their colors? he asked quietly.

Starscream and Skywarp both nodded at the question; they, too, wanted to know, and in Star's case, to assist. Sunstreaker had asked that he do the detailwork, and Star had agreed to help Sunny. He was nowhere near as talented as Sunstreaker, but unlike Sideswipe he could actually paint reasonably well.

Bluestreak looked like we was about to get up and run, and Skywarp shook his head. "Hey, Blue. Where ya goin'?"

"Um I need to go someplace, yeah to the 'racks, I'm a very dirty mech you know oh Primus I didn't just say that did I yes I did fraggit to the Pit and back bye Sides Sunny Ratch Starscream Skywarp Thundercracker and oh yes Wheeljack you too-" He got up and /_moved_/ out of the rec room as if he were on fire. Which Starscream supposed that he was, after THAT statement.

Wheeljack blinked slowly, ear finials glowing blue with concern. "Is Blue okay?"

"Oh, I think he's fine." Sideswipe smirked, watching as his brother sat in the vacated space and made room for Thundercracker. "Pretty sure it had something to do with something in the air."

Sunstreaker rolled his optics as Wheeljack considered that. "You know, maybe I should test it. Don't want anymore mechs to start freaking out like that."

Ratchet literally facepalmed, the twins staring at the inventor with disbelief. How thick could Wheeljack be? Poor Bluestreak, he sure chose himself a whopper.

Thundercracker couldn't sit there and listen to that. "Wheeljack...he wishes to-"

"TeeCee, shut up!" Skywarp said. "Not your place to say anything."

"Skywarp, keeping silent gets you nowhere. If you had remained silent and not told Star your thoughts on Sideswipe, where would you be now?"

"Same place /_you'd_/ be if I hadn't told Sunstreaker." Starscream said softly, without anger. "It's hard to talk about your feelings, isn't it, TC?"

Thundercracker's face colored slightly. "Point taken."

"Still have no idea what ya mean, Thundercracker." Wheeljack said, his helmfins flashing a lazy blue.

Thundercracker rose and nodded at everyone, heading for the communal dispensers to retreive a cube for both him and Sunstreaker. While he stood, waiting, someone tapped him on the shoulder. The mech was blue, with odd winglike things on his back, and the look on his handsome faceplates was more arrogant than that found on Sunny's. "Hey, Seeker." he said softly. "How's it feel /_not_/ to be slagging us to the Pit?" The mech moved close, into TC's personal space, and he stiffened, not liking the unfamiliar contact.

"We do well." he rumbled cautiously.

"I can see that." Unreadable blue optics darted to and away from the Twins. He opened his mouth to say more, seemingly unaware of the Seeker's discomfort, but a voice interuppted him.

"Yo, Punch!" That was Blaster, waving as the darkblue mech turned to look at him with a small smile. "Didn't even know you were back, mech!"

Starscream's optics narrowed slightly; that mech looked damned familiar, though he couldn't put a finger on it, on where he knew him from. He knew that he DID know him, but from where? He watched Punch as he left TC and shook his head. It was likely nothing.

Thundercracker returned, three cubes balanced in his hands. He handed one to Sideswipe, one to Sunstreaker, and the other one to Skywarp, who scowled and accepted it anyway.

"Any more dizziness, Skywarp?" Ratchet asked. Skywarp shook his head, perhaps a little too quickly. "Nope. Nothing. I feel great. Feel fine. Nothing better." he tried to assure the medic, sewing Plushie!TC's shoulder vents firmly in place.

"Skywarp?" Starscream asked in a rising tone. "You're going to medbay for a full checkup." "No!" Warp said.

Blaster spoke to Punch, even getting the Ops mech to join in their game of Rock Band, but the mech stared intently at the table where the twins and the Seekers sat. It wasn't blatant, but he glanced over there every so often.

"They're taken, m'mech." Blaster said cheerfully, snapping Punch out of his reverie.

"Uh. Um. Yes." Punch said softly. "A shame, that, that two of such grace and beauty ally themselves with filthy Decepticons."

"Not 'Cons anymore, and by order of Prime, we're to let 'em integrate. That means you too, old friend."

Punch sighed, perhaps with quite a bit of exaggeration. "Very well. I suppose I will have to look elsewhere."

"Would be the safest bet." Blaster laughed, clapping the spec ops mech on the shoulder. "Now c'mon! Time 'ta take Jazz down a decibel or two!"

Punch cast one last glance at the table, optics flashing unreadably before he turned his attention to the game.

"You are." Ratchet growled. "If I have to drag you there myself! Or I'll let you get a taste of Blue or Aid's turbopuppy optics!"

"Nooooo!" Skywarp whined. "I can't, okay?" He was being completely serious about this. His optics were slightly paled in more than a little fear, and he'd had to put down his project because his fingers were trembling. "Can't, Ratchet, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Skywarp slid out from underneath Sideswipe and left the rec room, almost running.

Starscream rose to go after him, but TC held up a hand. "No. Let him. He probably needs to be alone."

"But what's /_wrong_/ with him?" Starscream wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but I /_will_/ find out. I'll go after him." Ratchet said, standing up and leaving.

Sideswipe stared after his lover with worried concern, torn between getting up to follow them and see if his lover was okay and staying here to make sure Starscream would be okay. He bit his lip, standing before looking at Starscream. "Maybe I should..."

Thundercracker took a long look at Sideswipe...and then nodded. "Maybe." he allowed. "You can try. He will likely not stay near Ratchet for long...and I believe that there is something serious with him, whether it be his frame or his mind."

Skywarp rushed down the halls of the Ark, not really sure /_where_/ he was going. He couldn't go to the medic; what if it were true? He couldn't take it again, not again, not for the...he counted mentally...eighth time. He should have known better, been more careful, but he's just 'dumb old Skywarp' as most called him...

"Skywarp!" The medic's voice boomed down the hall, and Skywarp froze. He was caught. No, not if he warped away! But he /_couldn't_/ warp right now; his energy levels were too low. Skywarp sighed, turning to look at the medbot dejectedly, and saw Sideswipe rushing behind him. The sadness in his spark increased a thoudandfold; now Sides would have to hear about him if that medic insisted on taking him.

Which he did. "Come on, Warp." he said gently. "We need to find out why your systems are in an uproar, and why you're upset."

Skywarp just stared through Ratchet and shook his head. "I /_don't_/ wanna talk about it."

Sideswipe had already rushed from the room before Thundercracker had finished speaking.

"Think they'll be alright?" Sunstreaker asked, concerned for his brother.

"They will be fine." TC reassured his mate. "They will."

Sideswipe scanned the corridors with worry in his spark as he looked for his lover and the medic. Something was wrong with Skywarp and it scared him. It seemed to be getting worse each day and he was afraid he was losing him though he never admitted it out loud, fearful of seeming clingy.

He caught sight of Ratchet's paintjob and then Skywarp's and he felt only some relief. "Warp!"

Skywarp put the inevitable off by the simple expedient of sitting down in the hallway, his head in his hands. He shook his head violently at any attempts to ask him, and Ratchet sighed, looking at Sideswipe as he approached them.

"Do you have any idea...?" Ratchet asked quietly.

Sideswipe shook his helm, staring at his mate- one third of his personal trine as Star had named them- with some fear. "Look, Ratch, can you...?"

Ratchet waved to the seeker and made a show of giving them privacy. Sideswipe fidgeted next to Skywarp, unsure of what to do. Was Skywarp rethinking this like he'd feared in the beginning? Maybe having been given more time to think it through he really didn't /_want_/ to be with him or have a bitlet with him. Hesitantly, somewhat afraid of rejection, Sideswipe knelt and reached to touch Skywarp's arm.

"Skywarp..."

Skywarp made an odd sobbing sound and didn't look at Sideswipe at all.

"Don't." he said softly. "It's not you, it isn't. It's me. Always _me_. I'm glitched. I'm just afraid, that's all. Because I'm not careful and don't think. Comes from my carrier, it's a spark glitch.

Ratchet said authoritatively, "There really isn't such a thing as a /_spark_/ glitch, Skywarp. Whoever said that was an idiot."

"Guess Hook's an idiot, then." Skywarp grumbled.

Ratcher knelt next to Sideswipe and Skywarp. "I need you to let me know what's wrong with you."

Skywarp took a deep intake, letting it out slowly. "Maybe nothing. I /_hope_/ nothing. But I need...I need you to check me to see if I got sparked up."

Ratchet frowned and Sideswipe stared, looking from one to the other. His spark was... confused. "Is it possible?"

"Yes." Ratchet said evenly, his CPU running through the possibilities and the symptoms and then Skywarp's own reactions. "It's very possible for one of your lovers to become sparked. And more than likely it will be yours if it's in there Sides. A carrier's spark outputs more energy than a coder's and while it would be insanely more difficult had it been another seeker, your coding differs just enough that being a carrier yourself, you could have easily implanted one of your lovers." He stood. "Come on. I want this confirmed."

Skywarp shivered, but he stood up, walking slowly behind Ratchet to the medbay. He reached out to Sideswipe his optics alight with a mixture of hope and fear. "Be beside me, okay?" he asked softly. "I'll tell you all about it later...but I think I might need to know this. So I can be prepared..."

Ratchet led the duo to the medbay, which was fairly quiet at this hour. He prepped a berth and pointed to it. "Warp, up there. Sides, you need to step away while I do the scan, or else it'll pick up on you, and not him. Skywarp..." He bit his lip.

Sideswipe nodded, squeezing Skywarp's hand reassuringly and then stepped away to let his lover work.

Ratchet retreived his equipment and began the scans, looking at Skywarp with concern. Skywarp was the happy one, the one who was joyful no matter what...and now here he was looking as if he'd like to cry. He looked at the readings, then back at Skywarp, then at Sideswipe, biting his lip.

* * *

><p>"I hope he's all right." Starscream said finally, breaking the silence that had descended upon their table. "Warp just isn't like this, and I don't get it."<p>

"I have seen him this way once before, Star." Thundercracker said softly.

"What had happened?" Star asked TC.

Thundercracker paused for a moment before answering, and then gave them the truth, even as hurtful as it was. "He had been expecting...and he lost the sparkling."

Sunstreaker frowned, one hand unconsciously going to his own chestplates protectively. He couldn't imagine what that must be like. Despite his dislike over his more than normal mood swings, and the feelings of helplessness he enjoyed feeling the bond between himself and their newspark.

* * *

><p>"Skywarp...it's true. You're carrying."<p>

The dark Seeker's optics widened and optical fluid poured down his cheeks, and he started shaking. "No, no..."

"What's wrong, Skywarp? Why...why no?" Ratchet had seen how overjoyed Sky was about Sideswipe's twins; how closely he paid attention to Ratchet's instructions for Sides' care while carrying, and how he spoke of being able to talk to them even before they'd separated. This reaction was completely different from any he'd expected.

"Can't carry to term, Ratchet." he said bleakly. "Lost seven already; can't do the eighth."

Sideswipe grabbed his lover and held him tightly. "Sure you can, Warpy!" He said encouragingly. "Ya got me and Stars to help ya out and Ratch is the best there is! We'll be slagged if we let this one get away! Neb and Stormy need a baby brother!"

Skywarp buried his face into Sideswipe's shoulder as Ratchet looked on, compassion in his optics. "We'll find out why you couldn't, and do whatever we can to make sure it doesn't happen again, Skywarp. You will make far too good of a carrier to have you miss this chance." Skywarp peeked up, ruby optics faded.

"You'd do that for me?"

Ratchet nodded firmly. "I will." He thought to himself, _*Seven? Dear Primus, no wonder he's terrified...I wonder.*_

He gestured to Skywarp. "Lie down here so that I can do a few more tests. Sideswipe, get Starscream in here; he needs to know this as well. And Warp?"

Skywarp moved, getting on the berth on his back. "Hm?" he said, his emotions totally out of balance.

"No more warping until you have your little one."

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker went still, optics going unfocused for a moment before he looked at Starscream. "Glitchface wants you in medbay with them. He and Ratch managed to get Warp there."<p>

Starscream nodded and looked to Sunny and TC. "You coming too? May as well; we're all family now, aren't we."

Thundercracker gazed sharply at Starscream. Yes, they /_were_/...but he had not expected Starscream to be the one to say it. "I shall go. Sunny?" he asked, sure that Sunstreaker would follow. "Ratchet likely has the solvents we require to get...this mess off, as well."

* * *

><p>Skywarp nodded; he's long guessed that that might have been at least part of it, as little as he actually understood his ability. Star had tried to explain it before, but all that talk about displacement and instantaneous transfer scrambled his circuits. He just didn't get it. He lay there on the berth, feeling very afraid, so he reached out for Sideswipe with one hand.<p>

Sideswipe gripped the hand tightly, trying to reassure as he hopped up to sit on the berth beside his mate. "See, everything will be all good. You don't have to worry about a thing!"

At that moment, the doors to the medbay opened again and Sunstreaker headed the small party of mechs walking in. "What's going on."

Skywarp smiled very slightly at Sideswipe, and then looked as the door opened, admitting the rest of his trine and his mate's twin. He figured that he might as well say it all now.

"'M gonna have Sider's bitlet." he said softly. "And I'm scared that I can't."

"Can't? Skywarp, why couldn't you?" Star asked, moving to hold Skywarp's other hand. He was a bit...hurt that Skywarp automatically assumed that it was Sideswipe's, not his, but that wasn't the important issue now.

Ratchet mumbled, "This is worse than having a fragging /_gestalt_/ in here, because at least a gestalt isn't full of fragging twins and Seekers!"

Thundercracker tilted his head at Skywarp. "Like last time." Skywarp nodded.

"Last time? Sky, you were...before?" Starscream looked surprised.

"Yeah. Don't even know whose most times...though I could name names for at least three. But I was. Seven times. And all seven times I lost it." he said softly, his wings shaking. He definitely was /_not_/ going to tell Starscream that one, possibly two of them had been his.

Sideswipe used his free hand to stroke over one wing. "It'll be okay, Warp. Got us this time!" He enthused.

Ratchet interrupted them. "Skywarp, you need to try and calm down. The scans say you're healthy. that nothing has happened, nothing out of the ordinary _is_ happening. You know how to take care of a carrier. better then most. And I will help you. If you feel the slightest bit of pain or distress, anything that feels off, we can look and see. And if you insist..." Ratchet took a long intake. "We can build him an outside chamber if your spark won't support him."

Sunstreaker blinked in surprise. "You can do that?"

Ratchet snorted. "Of course I can. It's not that difficult to siphon a carrier's or a coder's energy once a decacycle. And with the energy we could feed it in a chamber, there would be no worries of energy deprivation. However, it's not the preferred solution."

"Why not?" Sideswipe asked.

"Loss of the spark is high because it /_is_/ dependent on its carrier's spark for the first two decacycles of carrying. However, it is possible and done the right way, completely safe."

Ratchet didn't mention the potential attachment issues that this solution promised; Skywarp didn't need to know these right now. He needed to know that this one would live, and the technical solution seemed to mollify him at least a little. Starscream's optics narrowed...he undoubtedly knew, but he wasn't going to deny Skywarp that small comfort. He did want to know, though...

"Are you certain that it's Sideswipe's?"

Thundercracker swung his gaze over Star. "Why would you care?" he asked, frowning.

"Well, it's not for certain but the chance is higher because a carrier's spark gives off a much higher percentage of spark energy. Especially during a sparkmerge and ESPECIALLY during a sparkmerge at overload." The medic explained.

Sideswipe looked at Starscream with some confusion. Why would it matter who's it was? It was THEIRS and they would raise him just like the others.

Sunstreaker bristled slightly, not quite sure what to make of Starscream's tone.

Skywarp shook again. "Star. No. I don't want to...don't be like this..." He shook his head again, shuddering.

Star frowned, but he pressed on just a little. "I just wanted to know, Ratchet. He's been with us both at...that moment. Yes, Sides is a carrier, but..." He couldn't explain it, the desire to create with Skywarp. It had risen protectively in his spark when he'd heard the news, and he couldn't stop himself.

Thundercracker glared. "Do /_not_/ tell me that you are favoring one over the other!"

Sideswipe flinched just a bit, but he didn't really believe that. Or didn't want to. He loved Starscream and Skywarp just as much, but he kept his optics averted, old fear rising unbidden to the surface, afraid it might be true. /_Did_/ they regret sparking him? Was he simply not... good enough? And when the frag had his life gotten so complicated?

Sunstreaker glared coldly at Starscream, feeling his brother's distress rising and trying to calm him. It worked marginally, but Sunstreaker would have no issue beating the slag out of Starscream if he said one word wrong right now.

Starscream glared. "No. Of course I'm not. But Skywarp was mine first..."

As the words left his lips, he realized far too late how that had sounded. His lips parted, one hand rising to try and stop the words before they were heard, but of course it was too late. His trinemates both swung their helms in his direction, and a wrench clanged off his helm directly from Ratchet's hand.

Sideswipe wasn't entirely sure what happened. He just knew that one moment he was hoping it was all okay and then it was like that hope was... not there. He felt coolant pooling in his optics. He wanted to be loved /_equally_/. Not feel like he was inferior in some way, like his /_sparklings_/ were inferior somehow. He backed up several steps, processor reeling. "I - I have to go..." He swallowed before bolting for the door, wrenching his arm from his brother's reaching grasp as he sped from the medbay and down the hall, transforming the moment he reached the base exit before speeding into the desert.

Sunstreaker stared at the open door as it slowly cycled shut, flinching as the bond snapped shut on him, the last thing he felt his brother's reeling emotions of hurt and confusion and despair. With a roar, he turned and followed Ratchet's wrench with a powerful punch that knocked the much bigger Seeker on his aft. "YOU FRAGGING FLITTER- GLITCH, I'LL SLAG YOU!"

Thundercracker didn't stop him; Skywarp didn't stop him either. Starscream had /_deserved_/ that, moreso than he had anything in a very long time. "STAR!" Skywarp shrieked. "You fragging /_aft_/! What the hell are you thinking, saying something stupid like that? Now he thinks you don't /_care/_ about him, and he's hurting, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!" His own distress with the situation was forgotten. Skywarp, usually one of the most even-tempered of Seekers, was highly upset.

"Starscream." Thundercracker said slowly. "I would have never thought even you capable of this."

Star's mouth moved, but nothing came out. All he could see was the hurt on Sideswipe's face as he sped from the room, hurt that _he_ caused. "I-" He tried again.

"I didn't mean-"

"Doesn't matter. You said it. And now he's gone off to Primus knows where. You better find him, Star. You better find him and bring him back here, or else you don't come back either." Skywarp said, his mind made up.

* * *

><p>Watchful optics finally noted the presence of a red sportscar, headed alon into the desert. Scans and recognition protocols indicated that it was the target, and the mech moaned, his head hurting badly enough, the pressure strong enough to cause energon to flow from his optic sockets. It was coming. It was coming, and he could not stop it.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Reviews make the next chapter come faster! :D<em>


	14. Chapter 14

_Greetings, readers! Not too much more of this story left to tell, but...there will be more set in this universe. We sort of refuse to let it die. So, without further adieu, we present chapter 14...an anomaly. This chapter is likely as safe for work as L&S ever gets. If it deserved the M rating, it's for violence._

_Pairings: Yadda yadda, you know who's with who by now._

_Warnings: Violence both physical and psychological, some rather disturbing threats_

_Disclaimer: Not ours, except the sparklings!_

_Reviews are great! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed us!_

* * *

><p>Sideswipe groaned as he came to, optics flickering past the painful pounding seeming to originate from the back of his head. He shifted, rebooting his optics, confused when he only met darkness. He rebooted them again, and once more until he realized that the reason he was seeing darkness was because he was _inside_/ something. Full awareness jumped back at him and he struggled when he became aware of other things... Such as his wrists being bound securely behind his back and his knees bound just as securely together. He discovered his vocalizer had been shut off when he tried to yell. His spark pounded in his chassis, panic setting in as he tried his comms, and then his sparkbond with his brother... Oh Primus, he couldn't /_use his bond_/!

He thrashed in a panicked frenzy, trying to loosen his bonds somehow, only to curl into himself when a sharp pain echoed from his spark. Immediately, he reached through his bond with his sparklings, feeling their distress as they raced around his spark, tugging almost painfully on the tendrils that kept them there. He forced himself to relax, to avoid hurting his sparklings further.

Calm down Sideswipe. Think. What happened? There has to be something that can help you here.

He remembered, with a small pang of hurt, the words Starscream had spoken in the medbay. And then the rush to get out of an atmosphere that suddenly had been hard to breathe in as his emotions went haywire. He swallowed, trying to remember further. Yes, he'd run from the ARK, racing across the open plains of the desert. He's stopped... in the clearing. Their clearing. He remembered breaking down and crying. Something had startled him and he'd told them to leave, thinking it was Starscream coming after him or his brother and he didn't want them to see him like that... And then the blooming pain on the back of his helm and then... this. He checked his chronometer.

Cold dread swept through his systems. There was no other explanation.

As of seven earth hours ago, Sideswipe, twin of Sunstreaker, carrier of Nebula and Stormshadow, Autbot Frontline Warrior and Mate of Starscream and Skywarp was a prisoner of war.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker paced across their quarters, optics distressed as he tried again to reach through to his brother, coming up against a solid wall each time. It'd been too long. Something was wrong. Primus he could _kill_/ Starscream right now!

Thundercracker tried again, for what had to be the fifth time that joor. "Have you been able to contact-"

"No!" Sunstreaker snarled. "Don't you think that if I /_had_/, I'd've gone after him by now?" The hurt and fear in his tone was unmistakable.

Thundercracker winced; he knew that Sunny was dependent on his brother...he had just never guessed how much. TC could try and try until the stars themselves exploded; he could not be Sideswipe for him, no matter how much he might wish it. It was good that Sunstreaker wasn't holding back how he really felt, though- that showed a trust in TC that warmed his spark, even through the events of this day.

Skywarp looked miserable. He picked at a splotch of paint on the table, feeling like this was all his fault. And he couldn't even go searching- he couldn't warp.

And Starscream was gone. He'd taken off shortly after Skywarp had told him to go and not come back without Sideswipe.

* * *

><p>Normally, the air felt good. Right now it seemed as much a hindrance as anything else as a nearby electrical storm fouled Starscream's sensors, sending him ghost images across the flat landscape. He saw nothing that even remotely resembled a red sports car, let alone anything alive.<p>

_/Starscream? This is Silverbolt. There's no sign of him in the east vector quadrant./_ The comm came in a bit crackly, but it was there.

_/Yeah, I don't have anything southwest either./ _That was Air Raid.

_/Thank you./_ Starscream commed back immediately. The other fliers onboard had been sympathetic, the Aerialbots most of all. It seems that they fragged each other off to the point of taking off on a regular basis, and as such, Silverbolt, Fireflight, and Air Raid had offered to help him search.

No one had found a thing, though, and he was pretty sure that his spark was going to break into a billion pieces before they did. His mouth. His fragging mouth that he could not keep shut, that said the wrong words and cut far more deeply than even Prime's energon blades.

He was wallowing in self-pity to the point that he almost missed the disturbance in the sand below him.

* * *

><p>"Still nothing." Thundercracker asked tonelessly, and Sunny nodded. TC cursed under his breath, worried about the crimson twin...and about Starscream, though he wouldn't say THAT right now.<p>

"We could ask Red Alert to find him." Skywarp said softly. "Red can find anything, I heard."

"Not if he doesn't know where to start /looking/!" Sunstreaker growled. "Glitchface didn't even tell me where he was going! He could fragging well be anywhere by now! Slagging aft headed two bit defunct motherboard of a slag heap!"

Sunstreaker was on the edge of an emotional breakdown. Sideswipe had been his core for so long. The mech who knew him and loved him and was his other half that he had no idea what to do without him. Sure they'd been parted longer than this, missions and what not, but not without knowing how the other was or where they were!

He made another circuit of the room, spinning around to start another before he snarled, kicking at the small corner desk with the terminal on it. "Slag it all, where is he!"

He knew this was going to likely focus Sunstreaker's rage on him, but... Thundercracker braced himself. "Sunny, you need to calm yourself. You would know if something happened to him, regardless of him blocking you off from him. That has not happened; therefore, he /_is_/ alive and not lost to you. He'd asked Ratchet about the twins, their bond, and some of the effects of it, so that he would know and might be able to help.

"STOP IT. JUST FRAGGING STOP IT OKAY?" Skywarp was crying again, laying on their shared berth looking worse than hopeless. He was alone here, unlike Sunny and TC. There was no one for him to talk with, to hold him, to tell him that it would be all right- there was only doubt and uncertainty, and Skywarp's keening tones reflected that. "Please." he choked out, looking away.

* * *

><p>Starscream flew almost straight down, tranforming with a somersault in midair, landing lightly on his feet. There was a large disturbance in the sand all right, with indications that at least two mechs and two ground-mode vehicles had been here, and not very long ago either. He commed Fireflight, who was closest to his position. The tracks were heavier, and only a single set at that, heading eastward.<p>

Toward the Nemesis.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean?" Sunstreaker asked sharply, staring at the sabotuer intensly.<p>

"Ya heard meh, Sunny. This search is officially a retrieval. Starscream comm'd in with info an' Red used it to watch the location several hours back. Yer brother's on the Nemesis."

Sunstreaker's fuel lines ran cold. He was beginning to shake, hands curled over his chest protectively. "No." He said forcibly, shaking his helm. "NO!"

"Oh, slag." Skywarp breathed. "I'll help! I'll go in and-"

"You must not, Sky." Thundercracker reminded him, and Skywarp's optics widened. He placed a hand protectively over his spark chamber, where the little one whose discovery had brought about this misunderstanding. It wasn't the bitlet's fault, it was never his fault. "And neither will you." TC said to Sunstreaker, bracing for the explosion.

"I will go." His tone was cold and firm.

"If you're going so am I!" Sunstreaker immediately protested. "That's my brother! You can't keep me from going! Like slag!"

Thundercracker stared at Sunstreaker. "No. You will /_not_/ endanger yourself. Or do you /want/ them to have both of you, the ones sparked with Seeker-kin?"

"I'm a fragging frontiliner warrior!" Sunstreaker snarled. "I know my reputation on BOTH sides and frag you if you think you're going to stop me! And frag you too, Jazz!" The TIC shook his helm with a sigh.

"Sunstreaker, ah can't let ya go. Ya already know that."

"I said FRAG OFF! They have my brother! Like pit I'll let you stop me!"

Thundercracker stared at his mate intensely. "I...I refuse...I will not allow this...they cannot have you, too!"

Skywarp kicked the wall, hard. "You make him stay, TeeCee, and he'll do somethin' stupid. Least I know better. Ratchet told me not to do anything strenuous till I knew why..." He stopped there, knowing what they knew what he was referring to.

"You can protect him best at your side, TC...and he will fight for his brother."

"But...what about..." Thundercracker couldn't finish.

Skywarp bit his lip and commed over a very private channel, one that they'd set up a very long time ago. _/He'll die if Sideswipe does, anyway. Yeah, you don't wanna hear that, but you know it's true. He will. And then you wouldn't even be there to say goodbye. You won't let him die if he's with you, you'd put yourself between him and harm./_ Skywarp paused, looking hard at Thundercracker._ /An' you'll protect Sideswipe with all your spark because it'll keep Sunny safe./_

Thundercracker's optics widened even /more/ and he answered Skywarp's rather insightful response with a short nod. Then he took a deep breath.

"Jazz, he's coming with me. I accept responsibility for my...for Sunstreaker's safety. And we /will/ bring Sideswipe home."

Jazz groaned. "TC, I know you mean the best, but Ah can't, in good conscience, let ya do that. One, Ratchet would have mah head, two, Ratchet would have mah head and three, the chances of Prime agreein' ta this are, as Prowl would say, 10.2%. Don't ask how ah know that."

Sunstreaker glared at the special ops head. "You can't stop me." He said darkly.

Thundercracker had to agree with Sunny, there.

"We will be gone by the time you manage to get there to report us...unless you intend to detain a carrying frontliner and his refugee mate, for no other reason that because you can?"

"Oh, ah'd say ah have a pretty good reason." Jazz said, his tone steely. It was easy to forget that under all of the happy, cheerful, partying third in command was a hardened, Spec Ops agent. This was a mech who had tangled with Soundwave and Shockwave and was still alive to boast about it.

"I am not bound by your orders." Thundercracker pointed out.

"Yeah, you're not. Yer bound to Prime's orders. However, Sunny here, is. And I can't let a carryin' mech out on a battle field, much less the Nemesis. This is a gigantic clusterfuck in the makin', an' is exactly what this will become. Sunstreaker is due any day. If he were to go inta labor on the battlefield, TC, what then? There would be no tools to help him. You would lose yer sparklin'... An' possibly Sunny." It was harsh, but at least Jazz didn't sugar coat it.

Sunstreaker flinched, optics turning to the floor and glaring holes into its surface.

TC winced, but stood firm. "I am going to go, regardless. Starscream cannot do this alone, and I know damned well that if he is not already on the Nemesis, he will be soon. He may be thoughtless, his words may be harmful, but he /_loves_/ Sideswipe with all his spark."

He was torn. He wanted to accede to Sunny's demand, but it seemed as though Jazz outranked him in this. He wasn't used to having his orders overriden, but he wasn't part of an army anymore.

"Sunstreaker. What would have have me do?" His tone was so hopeless that it almost didn't seem real.

Sunstreaker stood there, hands shaking and spark spinning. One hand was placed over his chest the other clenched into a tight fist. He knew Jazz was right. If there were a chance that Sunstreaker could go and do his part, Jazz would have backed him up. It was hard for him to say it, but he slowly reached for Thundercracker's hand and squeezed.

"Bring him back." He said firmly, forcing his voice not to waver. "Bring him back and you better as hell come back too!"

* * *

><p>Starscream appraised the ocean with more than a little trepidation. He only had a vague idea of how he was going to get into the Nemesis, and idea that could well blow up in his face. It was all he had, though, and he stood near a concealing rock formation, trying to convince himself it was the right thing to do. This was his fault. _HIS_/ fault. No one else's. Starscream's.

He swallowed what pride remained to him and opened a secure channel, encrypted with a triple-tone shifting algorithm based upon the note progression of a lyraharp, and began mentally composing his plea to Soundwave.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe sat in the corner of the locked ICU room in the Decepticon medical bay. It wasn't clean like Ratchet's carefully sterilized rooms on the ARK. It was grimy and rusted and there were stains from past patients (victims, his mind whispered) in here. He was alive. For now, although the idea of what Megatron wanted with him and his sparklings was a terrifying one to contemplate because... He had no idea. He didn't _know_/! He had been tossed in here on his aft, albeit a lot more gently than he ever expected, and then left here. For what, he didn't know.

His hands had been unbound, and he had them crossed over his chestplates protectively, the two precious little sparks hidden behind his plating. He would get home. He swore he would. He began to speak softly to his bitlets, trying to calm their gyrations in his chamber with the sound of his voice.

* * *

><p>Thundercracker nodded firmly, and squeezed Sunstreaker's hand in return. He drew Sunny close for a deep kiss, not really giving a damn who was watching. When he broke off, he looked Skywarp in the optics. In a formal tone, his voice tinged with that Vos accent, he spoke.<p>

"You will guard him with your spark, Second-in-flight."

"I will, First." Skywarp said with feeling in his voice, is tone echoing the same ritualistic responses, and he moved to stand protectively near Sunstreaker.

"If yer goin', you may as well take these." Jazz dangled Starscream's null rays, the connector-ports wired and strapped together, in his left hand. He'd known he wouldn't be able to stop Thundercracker from going...and had counted on it. TC nodded and carefully attached Starscream's weaponry to his arms- they were somewhat shorter than the lasers he was used to, but at the very least they were compatible with his systems...and a hell of a lot better quality than most weaponry on either side.

Before he even turned to leave, his optics focused upon his mate, fixing Sunstreaker's face in his meta. As he exited the room, he pinged Sunny with a very brief message.

_/I love you. Wait for me./_

* * *

><p>Starscream though he had it figured out. Ten words should be enough, ten words not too much to trip the devices designed to stop just this. He was smart, he'd helped Soundwave create these codes...but they could have changed in the time they'd been gone. He exvented rapidly and activated the channel, hoping that Soundwave would understand. Being that he was the unparalleled master of the cryptic, Starscream rather thought he would.<p>

_/Treachery is not evident when necessary to save a life./_

The channel snapped open, silence for several shaky moments and then...

_/Starscream: Soundwave acknowledges./_

_/Is this channel secure?/ _Starscream demanded. He almost considered that to be an incredibly stupid question, because Soundwave would not be risking his aft if it wasn't...

Sure enough, Soundwave's grating metallic tones sounded almost offended with his response. _/Yes./_

Starscream's lips trembled. This was the moment of truth. Soundwave was his only hope of getting into the Nemesis in any reasonable amount of time, and even asking Soundwave to consider doing this was an act of treason. Star no longer gave a frag, being that he was declared Neutral, but Soundwave might.

_/I need to get onto the Nemesis as soon as if feasible. They have something of mine. I'd like him back./_

* * *

><p>TC flew as fact as he could toward the ocean, which thankfully wasn't very far. He wasn't dumb enough to overfly the area, though- he headed for a rock formation that they'd used as cover in several battles. That's when he heard his trineleader pacing around, the scrape of metal on rock unmistakable.<p>

* * *

><p>Skywarp looked sadly at Sunstreaker and opened his arms, offering a hug. That was just the way Skywarp was, these days. He figured that Sunny wouldn't take it, that he'd remain stoic especially through this...but trying counted.<p>

* * *

><p>"Lookit the 'Bot!" Wildrider said, snickering. "Why's he in medbay again, "Breaky?"<p>

"Dunno, but of he don't quit staring at me I'm gonna take those pretty blue optics and hang 'em on a string around my neck! THEN they won't stare at me!" Breakdown declared, studying the frontliner.

"Go ahead, you'll perish eventually anyway." The morose sounding statement came from Dead End where he leaned against the wall on guard duty. Punishment detail was more like it really.

Wildrider snickered. "Yeah, cause we're not supposed to touch him! Why is that?"

"He's carrying."

"Carryin' what?"

Dead End sighed as if put upon. "Sparklings. Baby Cybertronians."

* * *

><p><em>Prowl to Thundercracker. Please acknowledge./_

TC flickered his optics and stood very still. _/Thundercracker here. What is it, Prowl? I am...busy./_

_/There is an alternative plan. The Autobots have had knowledge of a Decpticon supply faciity run by humans allied with Megatron. We will attempt to take it back. Statistical analysis places a 40.75% higher rate of success with the rescue should Megatron be absent from the Nemesis. This probably rises by five percent for each member of the command staff now present as well, except for Soundwave, who increases it by ten percent, and the Conehead trine, whose presence or non-presence seems to be statistically irrelevant. Therefore, giving us another breem to gather troops would be efficient-/_

Thundercracker tuned Prowl out after hearing the gist of the plan. That mech was /_entirely_/ too wordy. He sent an acknowledgement, though, with a time of fifteen Earth minutes from now, when he would go, surprise assault or not.

Then he approached Starscream, who unsubspaced a laser pistol and was aiming for his spark chamber before he realized just who it was.

"TC!" he cried, and Thundercracker put his finger to his lips. _/Shhh. We have a plan./_

_/I didn't, I never, Primus I can't believe.../_ Starscream wasn't exactly stable during the best of times, and now was even worse.

_/We /will/ get them out, Star./ _he said firmly over the trine channel.

* * *

><p>"I don' t see no babies with him."<p>

"Why do I bother?" Dead End asked aloud although he knew he wouldn't recieve and answer. "Very well, let me put it this way. He is carrying new SPARKS within in him. And Lord Megatron has plans for them and him."

"He's still staring at me!" Breakdown growled before yelping when a maroon servo clapped firmly over his optics.

"There. You cannot see him, therefore he cannot see you."

"Thanks Enders."

Sideswipe watched the Stunticons feeling vaguely like he was watching some bad human comedy. Willdrider was looking at him with a disconcerting gaze, Dead End was firmly ignoring him to the best of his abilities and Breakdown seemed content to stand there with Dead End's servo over his optics and looking like an idiot.

Something was seriously wrong with these mechs.

* * *

><p><em>I trust you./ _Starscream commed Thundercracker.

TC hurriedly explained Prowl's plan, and Starscream agreed to wait. He had to pause when Soundwave finally responded to his comm.

_/Autobot prisoner: held in medbay. Condition: unknown. Guards likely. Escort: on her way./_

Soundwave cut the comm abruptly, and Starscream looked at Thundercracker.

_/Soundwave is sending an escort; 'she', he said. Likely Laserbeak. He didn't know...if Sides was okay./_

_/Then we wait./_ TC said simply, rubbing Starscream's left wing for comfort. _/We cannot rush this. If we do...you know what may happen, Star./_

Starscream gave TC a look filled with bitterness and despair. /_You have as much to lose as I do./_/ he reminded his trinemate, and Thundercracker's head jerked up as if he had been slapped. He removed his hand, looking at Starscream with disgust. _/I do not know what has gotten into you recently, but I do /not/ like it. Sideswipe does not like it, and Skywarp does not like it. You would do well to remember that,_ /Commander/_./_

Starscream flinched, and his spark surged in pain._ /I...forgive me./_

_/It is not /_me_/ who you need forgiveness from./_

* * *

><p>Breakdown felt better with Dead End's hands over his optics. It felt like nobody was looking anymore, and he let his brother lead him over to where Sideswipe sat. He reached out a hand blindly. "Wanna feel the sparklings!" he said, and Dead End almost hit him.<p>

"Dumbaft, you can't."

"Why not?"

They're inside him! He'd have to open up to you, and you know that isn't happening anytime soon! We'll all be dead and rusted first...though, that could be in less than a joor, so don't give your hope up yet."

* * *

><p>Soundwave petted Laserbeak gently. He'd slipped away to his quarters and instructed his youngest female creation to attend him. She understood what she was to do, and she even agreed with it. He transmitted a temporary code for her to use on the tower to get out...and to get the Seekers in.<p>

Just as she left, he received a comm from Megatron, demanding his presence on the bridge.

* * *

><p>"Autobots, Transform and Roll Out!"<p>

Sunstreaker stood in the entrance, watching the large group of his comrades speed away, following Prime to a battle he knew he could take no part in. And it chafed. His fists clenched at his sides as he fought the urge to hit something, frustrated with this situation and everything about his condition.

The Autobots headed out to the location mapped and outlined by Prowl, and Skywarp looked at Sunstreaker with pity in his optics.

"I know, you wanna help. Not safe, though. You're about to have Cloudchaser, and you need his protoform when you separate..." This idea finally hits Skywarp's meta and he gasps softly, a thin wail evident in his tone. "Um, Sunny? They need to find Sides fast. The twins are gonna be here real soon, they told me, and their 'forms are HERE!"

* * *

><p>Soundwave, as outwardly loyal as ever, acceded to his master's summons. There was an unexpected presence on the bridge, though. He reviewed the spacebridge activation records and nodded; he had only arrived that solar cycle. Behind his mask, Soundwave's lips curled in disgust- that simpering sycophant, disgusting and utterly without morals, even for a Decepticon. He worried for Sideswipe, and wondered why they'd captured one twin and not the other; they were invariably together. Megatron had not shared this plan with him, and that was odd- ever since Starscream had deserted, Soundwave had been acting as SIC.<p>

Shockwave nodded, his single optic unblinking in the dim lighting of the bridge. "Oh good, your subordinate is here."

Soundwave's visor flashed in annoyance. "Soundwave reports as ordered, Lord Megatron."

"Finally." the warlord snarled, out of sorts even at this early hour. "I was beginning to think I would be forced to come to your quarters for a wake-up call, as the humans call it." Soundwave shuddered almost imperceptibly; he knew /_exactly_/ what Megatron meant by that, and the idea made him want to purge his tanks.

That single yellow optic focused on Soundwave. "The subject has been secured, and his condition verified?"

Megatron nodded. "The Autobot is is the medical bay, and it's been confirmed. He's sparked with twin Seekers, coded by Starscream and Skywarp." He bit out the names like a curse.

"Oh, good. Thank you, Lord Megatron, for giving me the opportunity to take these filthy traitor's spawn and turn them into an asset for the Decepticon empire!"

"By all means, Shockwave. Keep the Autobot alive. He has his uses." Megatron smirked. "However, before this, it has been reported that there are Autobots on the move. No doubt they want their warrior back. Shockwave, I want you out there leading the troops to keep them at bay. Soundwave, I will need you here. They have that fragging noble on their side, and don't want to lose our quarry so soon after acquiring him."

* * *

><p>"I know." Sunstreaker said quietly, still staring at the horizon. "And I'm fragging stuck here!"<p>

He turned and slammed his fist into the bulkhead, angry.

Skywarp watched Sunny hit the wall and nodded; that looked like a good way to relieve stress. "Me too." he offered, and even if it didn't hit him as hard as it did Sunstreaker, Skywarp wanted to go do hs duty by Sideswipe just like TC was doing.

"D'you want to go get some energon? Might as well- rec room's gonna be empty." A thought occurred to Skywarp as he walked, though. "Did he meant it? Star, I mean. I don't think he did."

* * *

><p>At least he wouldn't be forced to stay with Shockwave, but...Soundwave replayed what they'd just said in his meta, and he felt something within him tilt.<p>

Sparked. Twin Seekers. Sideswipe. Rumble and Frenzy squawked over their bond, both hurriedly asking their creator if he was okay, but Soundwave could not formulate a response, not yet. He sent a wordless pulse of reassurance their way...to all his creations, in fact, and his lips set in a thin line beneath his battlemask.

"Are you going to emulate a statue for the rest of the cycle, or are you coming. Soundwave?" Their leader's voice, lowered to those silken, dangerous tones that Soundwave dreaded, pierced his meta.

"Acknowledged, Lord Megatron." he headed toward medbay at a high rate of speed, grateful when Dirge stopped to ask Megatron for clarification. The Conehead's answer seemed to be his faceplate into the bulkhead, and Soundwave shuddered.

* * *

><p>"Come here, Autobot." Hook's bored one was sounding less bored after the fourth command. "Get on this berth or I will weld you to it."<p>

"Slag off, 'Con!" Sideswipe growled, staying right where he was even if he knew it wouldn't get him anywere. "You're not touching me!"

Hook scowled, growing far too tired of this game the Autobot seemed to want to play. He motioned for his gestaltmate to bring the Autobot since he seemed disinclined to do this the easy way. Bonecrusher was far too happy to oblige, grasping the smaller mech's arm, unworried about proper care and such slag and dragged Sideswipe to the medical berth. Although, it was more of a throw seeing as Sideswipe's pedes had actually left the ground for several moments.

Sideswipe snarled, fighting the entire way as he was strapped down, glaring up at the Constructicons with optics that promised pain should he get free.

Hook snorted. "Better."

"Remind me why you reinstated his vocalizer?" Bonecrusher asked as the red twin started in on his favorite curses and insults.

"I didn't. Our informant decided to skip the part on how the small circuit break was only temporary. However..." Sideswipe's next curse cut off into silence as Hook actually turned off his vocalizer. Ah, blessed silence.

* * *

><p>Laserbeak swooped down, her advanced sensors easily picking Starscream and Thundercracker up near their rock formation despite its natural propensity to scramble scans. TC saw her first, and he held out his arm for her to land on. She took the offered perch, nodding at the two.<p>

"Soundwave sends Laserbeak-to aid-you-in-retrieving-Autobot Sideswipe." she said in her odd way, words spliced from conversations taped from numerous sources. The voices were all different, too- several could be picked out and recognized by a discerning audio. "Warning. Sideswipe-under guard. Hook is present in medbay. Constructicons Bonecrusher-and-Mixmaster-also nearby." She accepted the soft caress TC gave her and shivered, both excited and afraid to be doing something so significant. "Decepticons mobilized-in-response to-Autobot attack."

Starscream nodded; everything was coming together. "Can you get us in, Laserbeak?" If she could, Starscream privately swore he'd never call her a drone again. Laserbeak nodded smugly. "Laserbeak-has-code...but hurry."

The Seekers looked at each other and then at the little cassette who held the key to rescuing Sideswipe in her tiny claws. They nodded and took off into the sky, headed over the ocean.

* * *

><p>Shockwave stood, appraising the force of Decepticons and drones (courtesy of himself) as they moved to head off Prime and his force. That he had been tasked with something this important over Soundwave just showed that Megatron favored him and knew the logical choice. Even as he waited on the beouff for the Autobots to arrive, his mind was hald elsewhere, running thousands of calculations. He had twin seekerlet newsparks nestled against the spark of an anomaly he'd been patiently waiting to get his hands on.<p>

Split sparked twins were extremely rare, and he had always itched to get his servos on a pair. For now he would have to settle for one, but in time the other would be in his grasp as well.

His gold optic glinted evilly. Yes. Everything was falling into place as it should be.

* * *

><p>"Lord Megatron!" Mixmaster sounded surprised as the Decepticon Tyrant strode through the medical bay doors, Soundwave following in his wake.<p>

Hook straightened himself visibly, and nodded in respect to the Slagmaker, who laughed when he saw Sideswipe, all spread out on the berth. One silvery finger touched his lips. "Sparked by Seekers. No /_good_/ Autobot lets himself be fragged by his mortal enemies...even treacherous glitches."

Soundwave slipped into the room, forbidding all six of his cassettes entry under pain of docking for a decacycle, and began recording this. Not because Megatron would like for his actions to be saved for posterity, but because this way, he would be able to see for certain. He would have /_something_/ over the silver tyrant, even if he were too _*/afraidscareddisgusted/*_ loyal to use such a thing. His visor flickered impassively, and he sent a very gentle, almost imperceptible brush of his mind toward Sides', a brief image of Starscream and Thundercracker in flight.

* * *

><p>The tower, to their surprise, was already raised. Starscream cocked an optic ridge, and TC shrugged, not wanting to disbelieve a good thing when they saw it. Starscream had attached his backup null rays to his arms; not as powerful, but still as accurate. He didn't want to kill most of the residents...a few, yes, he wouldn't mind seeing them go to the Well,a nd in some cases giving them a sharp shove would be immensely satisfying. That wasn't why they were here, though. Laserbeak swooped in almost soundlessly, then back out in a circle; it was clear as far as she could tell.<p>

They entered the Nemesis tower for the first time in quite awhile, and it was depressing- nothing had changed whatsoever.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe's denta were bared and he snapped at the digits trailing over his lips. Belatedly it occurred to him that being defiant might not be the best idea in this situation, not with this monster's servos so close to his spark chamber and his newsparks. Even so, the rage he felt looking at this mech and _knowing_/ what he'd done to his lovers, what he was doing to Soundwave, what he was doing and done and still did to who knew how many countless others just because he /_could_/... It left him longing for something he hadn't longed for in a very long time... To rip another mech's spark chamber from their chest.

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime wasted no time in smacking the Combaticon to the side, searching the group for the Tyrant that was the cause of all their problems. The fact that the longer he searched and the longer the mech remained unfindable filled him with dread.<p>

_/Prowl! Locate Megatron!/_ He ordered. _/Notify me as soon as you have located him!/_

Prowl's answer to Prime came back both far too soon...and far too late.

_/Prime, Megatron is not present. The Decepticons are being led by Shockwave./_ Prowl's normally even tones were colored by more than a bit of dismay._ /It seems as though someone has given away our plans,/_

Optimus Prime's cerulean optics brightened, and he rushed the single-opticked scientist, roaring in anger. "Where is my mech? Where do you have him! Shockwave!" Prime shifted his arm into a huge glowing blade not too soon. Loud footprints could be heard nearby, and suddenly a very large presence was near Shockwave- Bruticus.

Shockwave shifted form, then, becoming an oversized gun that usally wielded itself...until the combiner lifted Shockwave up and began firing at the stunned Autobots.

_/Retreat!/ _Prowl called, not even bothering to get the okay from Prime. His statistical analysis showed a less that two percent chance that they could win this, and even that carried a significant risk of casualties up to and including the Prime. Prime trusted him to do this.

"Wait!" Silverbolt and his team stood together, all five looking determined. "We'll hold him off. You need time. Superion can give you that time." Prime, optics faded, nodded his assent, and the Aerialbots soon became Superion, jumping high into the air to rain missiles down upon Bruticus's little-protected head.

* * *

><p>Megatron slapped Sideswipe sharply across the face for his display of insolence. Then he did it again. Soundwave felt compelled to speak.<p>

"Lord Megatron: Subject must be functional in order for sparklings to remain online." he reminded him. "Less damage: easier separation."

Megatron scowled and took his hand away, but not before trailing a finger possessively down Sideswipe's chestplate over his spark chamber.

"You stole them from me, so it stands to show that /_I_/ shall steal them back...after a fashion, of course." Hook just snorted. "It will be vorns before they're able to fly, and until then, they'll be dependent on you for everything, Lord Megatron."

"The strong survive." he replied cryptically..right before all hell broke loose in medbay.

Sideswipe was disoriented from the stinging pain across his cheek. Despite it only being slaps, Megatron was a strong glitch. He shook his helm to clear it, aware of a loud noise and then more disorientation as something hummed on line, his straps released and he was yanked to his feet by his collar fairing before being hoisted into the air... facing the buisness end of a fusion cannon.

"How kind of you to join us Starscream, Thundercracker. " The warlord sounded extremely smug.

"Sideswipe!" Starscream yelled, all restraint gone. Thundercracker held him back, hissing aloud and comming furiously._/You are giving him what he wants! _Stop this_, Starscream!/_

_/I can't, I can't, I /_did_/ this to him, Oh TC, he's going to hate me, he is and I deserve it.../ _Starscream's expression was that of one broken and defeated.

"Let him go. I will stand in his place." Thundercracker said simply. If Sunny had his twin, he could forget TC eventually. Without Sideswipe he was literally nothing, though- so Thundercracker had done some thinking on their trip, some long and /_hard_/ thinking. Megatron was unlikely to give Sideswipe up for a lot of reasons, but to have...willingly...a Seeker of his own...that might do it. TC shuddered at the thought, his tanks roiling and threatening to empty themselves with each word he spoke.

"If you...release Sideswipe...I will stay. Willingly." His wingtips shuddered, though, even if his gaze was steady.

Megatron laughed in his face. "Why would I want /_you_/, frigid little thing? Are /_you_/ carrying fliers that can expand my armies? No. You're a traitor, just like your whining and puling trineleader behind you. I'll keep you here while you watch us...experiment...and yes, you will stay...but your deal, as it's said, is slag."

Sideswipe had never wished for his voice more int this moment. He struggled in the tyrant's hold, trying desperately to meet his mate's optics, his spark pounding in his chassis. Experiment... the words sent cold chills down his spinal strut. What were they going to do to him or his sparklings? He didn't want to contemplate it.

Thundercracker's faceplates froze even as he held Starscream back with all of his strength. His trineleader was nearly frantic at the implications. "Get your fragging hands off him, you son of a glitch!" he shrieked, his optics blazing crimson fire. "You don't deserve to even cycle air in his presence, let alone touch him-"

Megatron /_laughed_/. "Starscream." he purred. "I know this one's yours...I'll let you watch. Bonecrusher. Take him!" The Constructicon ambled over and glared at Thundercracker, who looked as though he were willing to fight about it...until the telltale whine of a fusion cannon powering up was heard, far too close to Sideswipe's head. TC ground his denta together and stepped back, his field radiating sorrow and frustration.

Star shuddered...but allowed himself to be taken toward Megatron. An idea was forming in his meta; an idea he loathed, but if the tyrant didn't want TC, he'd definitely want /_him_/...Starscream had always been willing.

"My lord..." he purred, forcing himself to do this. "Surely not!" He prepared himself to beg once more, except it wasn't just for his own function he was begging for.

_*Starscream, don't!*_ Sideswipe tried desperately to convey with his optics what he couldn't with his voice at the moment. _*It won't work, he's only playing you, STARSCREAM!*_ He tried to struggle, but a large hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed in warning.

Star saw the desperate look and his spark nearly broke. He didn't know what to do, this was his /_fault_/, and now it was going to end...right when things were getting good. His form went lax as Bonecrusher none too gently chained him to a support near the berth, close enough so that he could see every reaction that Sideswipe had, but not close enough to touch.

Star never wished more for a bond now than he did in this moment. All he could do now was stare into those stricken, terrified baby blue optics and mouth the words "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over and over again.

Soundwave looked hard at Sideswipe, and though his form did not move, Sideswipe could hear an ephemeral thought winding through his meta...a thought not his own.

_::Sideswipe: sparklings safe?::_

* * *

><p>Skywarp looked even more terrified as the Autobots came straggling home- the Areials had not yet made it, but the main forces, along with their casualties, were already at the Ark, filling medbay to near capacity and scaring the slag out of the single Seeker remaining.<p>

"What happened?" he asked, not getting any answer other than dirty looks from the crewmembers who deigned to acknowledge his presence at all. His wingtips drooped and he turned to Sunstreaker, ready to offer comfort that he knew would be turned down in an instant.

Sunstreaker was returning the dirty looks until they looked away, his optics scanning the incoming mechs for three in particular. He didn't see any of them and the fear in his spark was mounting.

Then Jazz limped in, supported by Mirage and Hound. "What happened." he demanded of the saboteur.

"Shockwave's on Earth. Nasty little surprise Megs had for us." Jazz scowled. "Thundercracker were able to get onto the Nemesis and then contact cut out with them... Ah'm sorry Sunny. That's all ah got for ya."

Skywarp began cursing loudly. "Shockwave, that dirty fragger, you got /_no idea_/ of the slag he gets up to, disgusting it is, just-plain-gross!" His voice raised with every word. "Please tell you slagged him, Jazz. Please."

Jazz shook his head, biting his lip in pain, and his visor flashed a soothing blue. "Gotta get to medbay, Warp, but if'n you wanna talk, I'll talk to ya." Mirage very, very carefully said nothing, and Hound smiled and nodded.

Skywarp looked at Sunstreaker, the mech he knew best...and that wasn't well at all. "Please come with us, Sunny. Please?"

* * *

><p>Megatron paced around medbay as Hook prepared a number of tools, most of which looked like normal medical equipment. A large tanklike object sat near the berth.<p>

"That." Megatron pointed out quite deliberately. "That is where the winglets will be going as soon as Hook removes them. It's safe now. Shockwave knows how to force spark development...or so he says...and within the next two solar cycles, I will have replacements for my lost command trine, sparked from the treacherous glitches themselves. If they are...up to spec, perhaps we shall allow the two of you to live, to spark more of them for my army. Wouldn't you like that, Starscream? Your lover, to remain alive...perhaps not /_cognizant_/, but able to bear your spark again." He moved, quick as lightning, over to his former Air Commander and hit him hard in the face, hard enough that energon flew from his lips.

"Or maybe I will allow another to perform the duty. You are flawed, Starscream. Weak. Pathetic. And certainly not worthy."

Starscream glared at Megatron, hate in his optics. "I will destroy you-"

Megatron laughed in his face. "I've heard that all before. You haven't managed it yet...and you never will. You are nothing more than a jumped-up whore, willing to frag your way to the top of whatever outfit it is that you find yourself in. Tell me, Starscream, how many have you had? I know you haven't remained /_faithful_/ to a /_GROUNDER_/."

Thundercracker bellowed. "That is /_enough_/!" He ripped himself free from Mixmaster's grip and punched the mech in the face hard enough to make him go flying across the room.

Sideswipe gave a soundless growl, even as Soundwave stiffened at the implications of forced spark development. The sparklings, in cases like that, were no better than drones, their minds too underdeveloped to adapt quickly enough. Forced to follow programming to a T, no deviation or a will to deviate...ever. Not knowing any better. Just as Thundercracker punched Mixmaster, Sideswipe bit into Megatron's servo, hard enough to draw energon. The warlord bellowed in surprised pain, instinctively tossing Sideswipe away and into Starscream.

Before the tyrant could recover, he staggered under the sudden force of a mental assault of pain, fear, and anger, turning with widened optics to see a very rigidly-postured, very _furious_ Soundwave.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker stood silently for some time, staring at the entrance as if willing his lover back would miraculously bring him home. Then, he nodded his helm sharply once, turning and following Skywarp into the ARK and towards the medbay.<p>

* * *

><p>Soundwave's visor glowed a furious red, and he actually spoke, his clipped tones as visibly furious as his actions would suggest.<p>

"Newsparks: not to be forced. Shockwave's plan: flawed. Megatron: deluded." Scorn dripped from metallic overtones as he sent a soundless something at the three Constructicons, their unshielded minds no match for a telepath on a rampage. Their forms fell into strutless heaps, twitching madly as their motor relays were disconnected, perhaps permanently, from their neural nets.

Thundecracker saw this and barely spared Soundwave a glance, freeing Starscream from the support by the simple expedient of tearing the chains apart. His anger lent him strength, and he turned on Soundwave, fully intending to make him his next target should Soundwave try anything odd toward Sides, Starscream, or himself.

Megatron stood with some difficulty, his limbs shaking with effort. "Traitor." he pronounced. "You know what will happen, now." He went to activate his comm, but found it nonfunctional. He gazed up at Soundwave sharply.

"Soundwave: /_communications officer/_." he spat. "Soundwave: will no longer be your toy. Seekers, Autobot: Gather Cassetticons at exit to tower. Rumble, Frenzy, Ratbat, Buzzsaw, Ravage: will travel with you to the Ark. Laserbeak: already on her way." That visor blazed once more. "Megatron: /_mine_/."

Starscream gasped, holding Sideswipe close. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I love you, please don't hate me..." He moved to kiss Sideswipe gently, needing to know.

Sideswipe kissed him back desperately. _*don't hate you! Never will!*_ Damn Hook for disconnecting his vocalizer. Just then, his chest echoed with a sharp pain and he gasped, yanking away from Starscream to stare down at his chest... before he doubled over with a soundless cry as another searing pain tugged at his spark. Sideswipe's hands scrabbled at his chestplates as he curled up in pain.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker's yell put a halt to almost everything in the medical bay as the golden warrior stumbled into a cart, knocking it over and the tools on it. His hands were clutching at his chestplates and he cried out again, falling to his knees and pressing his helm to the floor with his pain.<p>

"Son of a- FIRST AID." Ratchet yelled, his hands deep inside Air Raid's chest plating. He'd taken a direct hit from Shockwave and needed attention /_now_/, but Ratchet also knew that Sunstreaker /_never_/ cried out in pain, not even when carrying his own limbs in for reattachment.

First Aid dropped the tray he'd been holding and rushed to Sunny's side, Skywarp on the other. "Sunstreaker." he said softly. "Can you stand? You need to get on a berth so I can see what's happening." Skywarp offered a hand up, knowing that while he wasn't TC, he at least was here.

* * *

><p>Starscream saw that Sides' vocalizer was off, but he could see the relief and love in his optics...and he smiled. He buried his face into Sides' plating, until Sides pushed him away with a savage shove, and his mouth opened to protest...until he saw the pain written in every movement that Sideswipe made. "Sides. Love, what's- frag, you can't _speak_/..." He knew how to activate Sides' vocalizer, it was a simple repair, but he didn't have time, not with Thundercracker already weaving with the strain of his systems running high almost continually. They stumbled toward the exit, the hallways conspicuously empty, until they saw a sleek, dark presence- Ravage. Ravage sniffed at them and came at a run, stopping in from of Sideswipe with a curious gleam in her optics. The other cassettes weren't far behind, and the twins stared.

"Soundwave did it, didn't he." Rumble said.

"Had to have, otherwise we wouldn't be runnin'." Frenzy said. "Was only a matter of time and... Please tell me they didn't already initiate the splitting!" The cassette sounded slightly panicked as he watched the frontliner sag in pain, clutching at his lover as he tried to support him. Soundwave had looked like that when he'd split with Ratbat.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker seized Skywarp's hand, trying to stand, his legs wobbly. "C-can't... Something's wrong with him!"<p>

His voice was edging into hysterical. "Something's wrong with him, Warp!"

* * *

><p>"Initiated the- what are you talking about? And what are we waiting for?" Starscream demanded, a bit of that old Air Commander tone in his voice.<p>

"Splittin'." Frenzy repeated. "Y'know, having the sparkling. I saw Soundwave do it with Ratbat...looks like it hurts like slag, I'm not doin' it."

"You only 'face with me so you /_can't_/-" Rumble retorted.

"QUIET." Thundercracker shouted. His nerves were shot, his hands shaking from stress. "What are we waiting for?" he asked more sedately.

"Laserbeak's code." Rumble offered. "'Less you want me to write one. Dunno where she is, and I /_can_/...just takes about half a breem."

"Start it." Starscream croaked out, stroking Sideswipe's helm. "Hold on, love, they can't come yet. Have to wait, wait until we're home again...please, Sides, try and hold on, I'm here, Sky's waiting for you, he needs to be there too, you know he does..." Starscream's voice broke.

The tower raised, and they looked up expectantly. What they saw, though...

* * *

><p>"Sunny? <em>SUNNY<em>. Calm down. Sunstreaker. Listen. Um, uh, slaggit...Sunny, let's talk about Cloudchaser. He's gonna be so beautiful, and even has little stubby car-wings, so he'll look right next to his cousins. Yeah. And you can teach Neb and Stormy to fight like you do, cause Seekers suck slag at that...Sunny, stay with me, please!" Skywarp threw caution to the wind, and took Sunstreaker's hands into his own.

"I'm here for you. Really. Okay? TC's coming home. He's coming home with your brother right now, I just know it. Hold on, Sunny..."

First Aid muttered, "He's not going into separation but...he is? This makes no sense!" Ratchet slid by to glance at the readings and cursed aloud.

"Twins, Aid. It's not Sunstreaker." he said grimly. "It's Sideswipe."

Sunstreaker grunted as he made it to the berth with the help given him. "Hurts." He grumbled.

* * *

><p>Shockwave's golden optic flashed as he saw the Seekers and cassettes making off with his quarry. "Halt! You will go no further!"<p>

Thundercracker had officially had enough. He took aim with Starscream's null rays and fired twin blasts, striking the mad scientist in the chest dead on...which did absolutely nothing. He stared at Shockwave, a sinking feeling in his tanks.

"You did well to overpower Lord Megatron, but even now Soundwave is...suffering in medbay. Would you like to hear his screams?" he said pleasantly, as if discussing the weather.

"Fraggin' liar!" Frenzy shrieked. "I'd know, he's on his way right now-"

"And that is why I do this." Shockwave removed a metallic gunlike object from subspace and shot directly toward Starscream and Sideswipe with it. Starscream saw him draw the weapon and twisted his body, putting himself in front of Sideswipe as best he could. The blast struck him right in the back, sending the Seeker's systems into stasis lock.

Thundercracker growled and rushed Shockwave, fully intending to dismantle him piece by piece. "You. Will. **Not**. Touch. The brother of my mate, you fragging glitched up relic. You will NOT." He almost flew, his thrusters aiding him, and he actually knocked the heavier and sturdier mech down, punching him steadily in that hexagonal faceplate with every word he spoke. "You are not fit to live. You would harm /_sparklings_/!"

"Shockwave: unfit to live." Soundwave agreed, finally arriving on the scene. "Thundercracker: desist. Sideswipe's separation imminent; twins are coming. Soon. Quantum bond between Sunstreaker and Sideswipe strained. Must /_go_/; Sunstreaker requires Thundercracker's presence."

And that was the only thing that would stop TC from finishing the mech off right there in the tower control.

"Got it, boss!" The bay began to open.

* * *

><p>"Hurts, I'm sorry, Sunny. They're coming. It'll be fine. Listen to my voice, ok?" Skywarp tried to encourage.<p>

First Aid reported, "Spark readings are off the scale, Ratchet? I have no experience with a carrier. Is he about to have this sparkling?"

"He's close." Ratchet cursed. "First Aid, get Air Raid stabilized! If this sparkling is about to come, I need to monitor it! Wheeljack, Hoist! Help Aid!"

The medbay burst back into action as Ratchet wheeled the berth with Sunstreaker on it into an emergency room. If Sunstreaker was about to separate, he wasn't going to do it in the main room where so many things could go wrong in an environment like that.

Sideswipe clung to his lover, trying to get Starscream to respond to him even as the pain was becoming slowly hard to think around. He was trying to hold on, he was, but the pain was insistent, the two newsparks racing around his spark and feeling as if they were pulling on it at the same time. It was excruciating.

First Aid nodded firmly, rushing off to stabilize the other gestalt member with only a single glance toward Sunny and Skywarp. Ratchet kept a scanner on Sunstreaker, cursing loudly when he saw the readings. "I need the groundling protoform in here, just in case!" he cried, and Fireflight, uninjured but waiting for word on Air Raid, rushed to retrieve the tiny form. It looked...gray and pitiful, without a bit of life to it, and Ratchet nodded at Flight to set it down nearby.

* * *

><p>Skywarp looked terrified but also a little knowledgeable. "Sunny, listen. Sunny, it don't hurt for long, then it's over and you-" His breath caught. The only one he'd managed to carry hadn't lived the cycle. But he'd been here. "It'll be over and you'll be holding him. I know TC's not here and that's hard...but I'll help you , if you let me." He held out his hand, a tiny smile on his face.<p>

Starscream did not respond in the least, His systems were down, though he was still alive- just in deep stasis, his spark cycling very slowly. Whatever Shockwave had hit them with, he'd managed to twist and take the worst of it himself.

Thundercracker felt himself sway. "We...we have to go. Sideswipe. I must carry you. You need to get back...more quickly. I...think...I can fly you home." He didn't say a word about Starscream. The cassettes, for their part, looked up at Soundwave and he opened his docking port, the five quickly transforming and settling within.

"Starscream: functional. Will arrive with me." Soundwave said slowly.

It was a fight to get Sideswipe to release Starscream's hand but it was managed and all he could really do was curl with each new flare of pain in Thundercracker's arms as they left the tower.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker grasped the offered, hand, optics shuttered tightly. Frag it, screw his pride. He did NOT want to do this alone. He stifled a cry of pain, squeezing tightly on Skywarp's hand as his chestplates forced themselves open just a bit and Ratchet really did curse.<p>

"Scrap! He's coming faster than I thought, where's - Flight, yes, thank you, here." Fireflight had rushed in, carrying the little protoform and set it down where Ratchet instructed.

* * *

><p>Thundercracker could feel parts of his sensory network beginning to gray out- he was low on power, but Sides needed to get home.<p>

He began to use the overrides on his systems, cutting everything that was not essential to safe flight in root mode. His processor felt as though he'd lodged it into a pool of thick mud; his sensors were damped (except proximity), and his external sensory net was dulled to the point of literally feeling nothing more than pressure, but he was flying, he was flying fast, and there was the Ark below him before he knew it. His comm...he sent an emergency comm on the channel Ratchet had given all of them, and landed near the entrance. As soon as Sideswipe was safely on the ground, Thundercracker's vision grayed out and he fell to the ground at Sideswipe's feet, utterly drained. There was a small smile on his lips, though- he'd succeeded.

He had brought Sideswipe home to Sunstreaker.

* * *

><p>Skywarp grinned, taking Sunny's hand. "It's fine, but you gotta take in some air, y'know? And don't fight your chest opening- it's supposed to, and 'Chaser's protoform is right over there. He's gonna need a good paint job, Sunny, and you're just the mech for it." Skywarp fought hard to keep the smile on his face.<p>

Ratchet continued to work, getting several tools whose usage was not readily apparent when his head flew up, optics blazing.

"I need four available mechs to get to the main entrance of the Ark /RIGHT FRAGGING NOW/. It's Thundercracker and Sideswipe!"


	15. Chapter 15

_Hey, readers! We're /not/ dead and neither is this story. We kind of lost direction a little, but we're really trying to get it back. This is a lot shorter than our usual updates, but we both figured that giving all of our readers something was better than nothing...and this is pure, unadulterated fluff. So enjoy. More good stuff WILL be on the way in the near future._

_As always, thank you so very much to my talented co-author Katea-Nui, because without her this universe would suck and be boring because she brings such life to the twins._

_Warnings: Mpreg, the process of sparking new life!_

_Pairings: Y'all know these pretty well, I should think. ;)_

_The Usual Disclaimer: If this were ours, it'd be canon by now._

_Please review!  
><em>

* * *

><p>At Ratchet's command, several mechs who weren't injured enough to need immediate care sprang toward the door, but it was Skyfire who led the way, along with Bumblebee and Hoist. He knew he'd be able to carry Thundercracker while the others managed Sideswipe. They made quick time to the Ark's entrance, and Skyfire noted that Sideswipe's injuries appeared superficial; the reason he was writhing in pain was because of the imminent birth of both/ twins' sparklings. He privately thought that that had to /_suck_/.

The shuttleformer scooped Thundercracker up as if he weighed nothing at all, and gave him a once-over- he appeared unharmed, though he was unconscious. Bumblebee and Hoist grabbed Sideswipe and hurried ahead of Skyfire and his burden. "We'll get him in next to Sunstreaker!" Bee cried, and Skyfire gave a short nod as he checked the vitals of the Seeker in his arms.

Thundercracker seemed to check out, just drained a bit and rather banged up. Which was good. Sunstreaker didn't need the strain of a busted mate.

When he entered, Ratchet was calm and collected, his servos working swiftly. First Aid had rushed to Sideswipe's side as soon as he was settled, plugging him into various machines. "Aid, go back out with the critical patients. Hoist can help me here." Ratchet growled and the Protectobot was quick to do that as well.

"Erm Ratchet, where-"

"Next room over, Skyfire. I can't have in here to distress Sunstreaker."

The shuttle nodded and quickly looked away as Ratchet finally encouraged Sunstreaker's chestplates to part. A spark was an intensely private thing, especially when shared with another or separating life.

Skywarp's optics were wide. He saw TC being brought in, but where was /_Star_/? "Where is he? Where's Starscream? He didn't..." The look on his pale faceplates was almost stricken, and Sideswipe couldn't even speak to reassure his mate that thier third was still alive. He tried shaking his head, but it didn't seem to help the young Seeker one bit. Skywarp bit his lip, took a deep breath to try and steady himself, and stood between the twins. "Said I'd be here for you, Sunny, and Sides needs me since...Star..."

Thundercracker was motionless, insensate, and Skyfire wasn't sure what to do. He was a scientist, not a medic, but all of the dark blue Seeker's vitals seemed to be in order, he was just shut down. He knew enough to be able to start a line, though, and so he did, the infusion of medical-grade energon quickly set up and flowing into TC's frame.

"Hoist, what's Sideswipe's condition?"

"He's about three kliks from separating, Ratchet." The normally cheery medic answered, visage collected. "I need the frames."

"Skywarp, make yourself useful and get the frames from the cooler! We need them!"

The black and violet Seeker jumped up to do as asked, glad to have something to /_do_/ other than worry. Which was what ratchet wanted. The twins were separating so it was too late for anything to affect their sparklings due to stress, but Skywarp was barely five orns into his own carrying cycle. Keeping busy would help.

They looked..._sad_, Skywarp thought. Sad and empty and not yet painted, but that could be easily fixed...and some said that painting wasn't necessary except for highlights and touch-up work, that the spark is what colored the mech. Skywarp didn't remember much about his first, the only one who'd managed to make it to his frame. He'd only named him in his mind, called him Little Star, because that's who he'd looked like. He shook his head to rid himself of the bad memories, and a small smile touched his lips. He was about to really meet his twins, even the one that wasn't sparkbound to him...they were both just as much his as they were Starscream and Sideswipe's. They were /_family_/. He presented both frames to Ratchet with a proud grin, even as Fireflight held the tiny groundling frame meant for Cloudchaser nearby.

* * *

><p>TC's head _hurt_/. It was like he'd been bashed repeatedly in the helm by both Devastator /and/ Menasor, and neither of them had held back. He tried to online his optics but everything was blurry and had no color; he then recalled the desperate flight from the Nemesis, where he'd had to cut all nonessential systems to ensure the safety of Sideswipe. Was he safe? Had Thundercracker failed? He tried to sit up, only to be held back by a large, strong hand.

"Don't try to move yet, Thundercracker." The voice was somewhat familiar. He tried to place it, but his processor felt as though he'd dipped it in quicksand.

"S-suns-streaker... safe?" he managed, in a voice that sounded slow and even lower than usual.

"He's here and as safe as can be." Skyfire soothed, still making sure that the Seeker didn't move.

"S-ideswipe?." Thundercracker bit out immediately after.

Skyfire hesitated a moment. "He is fine. They both are."

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker was so fine that he was cursing TC's name and probable lineage even now; it was probably a _good_/ thing that Thundercracker didn't have to listen to it. Skywarp wanted to laugh; at least the mech was creative. Sideswipe, though...he just looked pathetic, unable to make a sound until Ratchet finally frowned and did something near Sides' vocalizer that produced a disturbing squeal of feedback and then a tirade of words.

Skywarp flinched back as several curses that could give Ratchet a run for his credits erupted from Sideswipe's mouth. Skywarp wasn't sure if he preferred the silence or not.

"Pit fragged 'Cons! Slagging two bit, twice fragged son of a glitch spawned tailpiped, /_assmonkey_/!" Sideswipe screamed as he writhed before being physically held down by Ratchet. "Get them out, get them out, /_get them the frag out!/_"

Ratchet grunted. "Fraggit, Sideswipe calm down! I can't hope to help separate them with you moving like this!"

"Calm down?! _**/CALM DOWN!?/**_ You fragging be calm when you have fire ripping from your - AAAH!"

Ratchet rolled his optics. "You're not dying, twit. It's /_you_/ who's distressing them and keeping them in there longer. All this negativity is making them want to stay where it's safe- near their carrier's spark. So calm the frag /_down_/!" he ordered, as if he could truly dictate the physical and mental reactions of others.

Skywarp bit his lip. "Are you really okay, Sides? And where's Star? Please tell me Star's not..." He refused to say the word.

* * *

><p>"Have to get up."<p>

Skyfire frowned. "No."

"My mate. Is having. My only sparkling. You. _Won't _stop me." Thundercracker said, his voice growing stronger by the word. "You will help me walk." It wasn't a question or even a request.

Skyfire gave TC a long look...and then he stood and offered the Seeker his arm.

Thundercracker stood, grabbing ahold of Skyfire's arm before he could stumble and fall. His world spun for a moment until he manually reset his equilibrium chip. He nodded, yanking the drip from the wrist port Skyfire had fed into him. Skyfire hesitated for a moment until Thundercracker growled and lurched forward to move on his own. The shuttle sighed and moved with him, supporting him to the ICU...

...which was a ablaze with energy. Sideswipe now had hold of Skywarp's servo, screaming for all he was worth, Ratchet hovering nearby with a laser focus on the sparks ready to seperate completely at any moment. Sunstreaker was on the opposite side of the room, doing his most obvious not to scream in pain now that he had exhausted his insults for the moment.

"'Sokay, they're almost here, I see 'em, Sides, calm /_down_/ for Primus' sake..." Skywarp said, wincing inwardly at the dents his mate was leaving on his hand.

_**"FRAG YOU!"**_ his mate yelled, right in his face...and Skywarp sort of didn't blame him, so he certainly wasn't offended. "That's what got us here, love." he said cheerfully, earning himself a murderous glare from /_both_/ twins.

He looked helplessly at Ratchet, who shook his head and finally injected Sideswipe with something right in the medical access port at the back of his neck...causing the frontliner to quite abruptly fall silent and insensate, his chestplates widening in reflex.

Thundercracker moved slowly but surely next to Sunstreaker's berth, the look in his garnet optics one of fierce pride. "Sunny. Love. I am here."

Sunstreaker grunted, fingers denting the berth as the sparkling circling his spark tugged sharply at their connection, snapping its second to last strand. "Alright, it's coming." Hoist said, optics bright as he kept a close watch on it. "Fireflight, I need his frame."

The Aerialbot was quick to approach, the small grounder body laid carefully on the little side table beside Hoist.

Thundercracker managed to use the tables and other objects in the room to get to Sunstreaker's side, finally leaning on his berth. His vision, at least, had normalized. "How are you feeling?" he asked, maybe unwisely. His hand reached for Sunstreaker's, wanting to let him know he wasn't alone.

Skywarp gasped. "What'd you DO to him?"

"Knocked him out." Ratchet said casually. "I'll online him once the bitlets are safely where they're supposed to be and not jumbled up in a mishmash because _SOMEBODY_ couldn't hold still for five fragging kliks!" He glared at Sideswipe's form, laid out on the berth. The two sparklings were starting to untagle their energy fields at last, though one seemed to be moving rather more slowly than his twin.

"Oh." Skywarp said rather subdued now as he watched the sparklets.

The faster moving spark had already seperated most its lines, have only three more. Two snapped off, Sideswipe's fingers twitching. Then the last strand snapped free and Ratchet was quick to catch it with the medical forceps he held, gently netting the spark and directing it to one of the two little frames waiting for it.

"That's it Sunny." TC said softly. "You have it, he is almost here." The Seeker watched with an almost unnerving intensity as the last strand thinned and then snapped in the middle, Sunstreaker hissing and biting through his lip, a thin trail of energon making it's way down his chin.

Hoist mimicked Ratchet, directing the spark to its own little frame, the little thing's tendrils snapping into place, taking to the frame almost immediately. Little chest plates snapped closed as plating began to gain color, the sky blue of its sire interspersed with the bright yellow gold of its carrier. Golden optics blazed on, tiny blue hands closing and opening before a small whimper escaped followed by a loud wail.

This was echoed by another wail where Sideswipe's first twin had finally settled into its chosen frame.

Ratchet barely gave the other two sparklings a second glance; he was focused on the one still attached...the one whose struggles were more feeble than he liked. "Skywarp!" he barked, and the Seeker snapped to attention.

"Huhwha?"

"You have a link to him. He's yours, even though this little one is borne of Starscream and Sideswipe. Give him strength through whatever it is that you managed to do with them." Ratchet still wasn't sure how Skywarp had managed a creator bond before separation, but he wasn't questioning it now. He feared that it may be the only thing that would save this sparkling's life.

"How?" Skywarp asked desperately, his optics locked on the tiny spark. The separated twin began to wail helplessly, echoing its twin's distress.

"Merge with him, do something, don't just /_stand_/ there!"

Skywarp bit his lip and parted his chestplates, leaning over Sideswipe's own. "C'mon, Nebula, 'sokay, come on out, safer here..." he mumbled.

The uncertainty, however, seemed to make it quail and retreat, though another tendril fizzed out instead of the snap Ratchet would have preferred. "Come on, come on." He muttered, eyeing the energy clamp to his side. He didn't want to use it, but if he had no choice...

Just then the door to the ICU snapped open again. And Jazz came in, supporting a very battered, but very much alive and determined Starscream. "Sides! Warp!"

The sparkling seemed to react, jerking forward with the proximity of its Sire's spark.

"Get him over here!" Ratchet yelled, and Jazz complied with /_no_/ argument, Starscream feeling more than a little dizzy. He wanted to know what was going /_on_/, though.

"What's the matter with Sideswipe? Where is the second twin? Why is- Oh." He saw the situation and what Skywarp was trying to do, and a tired smile lit his features. "Let me help...if I can." And he opened himself as well, pouring his own energy forth to ride alongside Skywarp's to the faltering sparklet that remained tied to its creator by only the smallest thread.

Star's presence was the catalyst. The spark seemed to brighten in both coloring and strength, and it broke free of the strand, trying to head off in the wrong direction.

"I don't think so!" Ratchet said, intercepting it with the frame rather than the special forceps he had prepared. The bitlet almost seemed to sulk as it settled into its frame, the colors slow to form...but they did begin to brighten as everyone watched.

Three wails rent the silence as everyone looked at each other.

"They're beautiful." Fireflight was the first to break the silence, his young voice filled with awe as he leaned over Thundercracker who had already snatched up his own sparkling. Little Cloudchaser was mostly blue, yellow-gold accenting him on his shoulders, lower legs and helm where proud helm fins stood like his carrier's. Little yellow doorwings fluttered on his back, while pale faceplates were scrunched in wails that had coolant trailing down from golden optics.

Skywarp's own breath caught as he stared at their own sons, almost too afraid to pick them up. They were so small. The twins lay side by side, the eldest a deep black and red with white accents. Nebula, son of Starscream and Sideswipe. He was calming slowly, little hiccups replacing wails. Deep blue optics like his carrier's stared at them all watery, wingnubs twitching. His brother continued to wail, his own deep black plating balanced with white, violet accents here and there. He was the mirror image of his elder brother, with different paint. It was utterly adorable.

When he opened his optics, they were a brilliant crimson. Skywarp just had to smile. And then he frowned because they were upset, and he could /_feel_/ that deep within himself. Starscream was moving to begin feeding protocols, but Skywarp shook his head violently. "Stars, you /_can't_/ yet, you're about to fall over." Starscream just looked at his trinemate and finally nodded, moving so that Skywarp himself could release the small tubes from his middle fingers. Both sparklings immediately quieted as the ultra-purified energon came flowing through the feeding inlets. Ratchet finally injected something else into Sideswipe's medical port, muttering under his breath...but he couldn't hide the grin on his face either.

Thundercracker sat on the berth, Cloudchaser in his arms, actually making little chirring noises, almost silent clicks and whistles and even funny faces at his little one. Huge golden optics stared up, entranced.

"He is beautiful." He said softly, hand moving to grasp Sunstreaker's. Sunstreaker, with the absence of pain and the energy it had taken to separate, was more than halfway to recharge. All he could do was grunt. Skyfire stood awkwardly in the corner of the room until Hoist touched his hand with a smile to the huge mech. "Why don't you wheel Sunny into another room. Thundercracker can go with him."

The shuttle nodded, smiling slightly before moving to grip Sunstreaker's berth, attaching the drip Ratchet had just finished setting up for him. "Come, Thundercracker. You and your mate need quiet."

The big seeker nodded and stood, far more stable as he moved his hand to feed his own son now. Cloudchaser latched on almost immediately, little tanks begging for their first taste of life.

Skyfire led them to the same room where they'd been together once before, which brought a smile to TC's lips. The shuttle left for a moment and returned with several cubes of medical-grade, then left the new family alone.

TC looked down at his mate, then at their child. He looked like Sunstreaker, so very much like him, though he could see some of himself in the strong lines of the groundling form. He had a brief pang when he thought of how he'd never be able to teach him to fly, but it quickly dissipated, knowing that Cloudchaser would have his own strengths, and would excel in his own way. Bright, knowing optics gazed up at him, the absolute trust melting even the big Seeker's spark.

* * *

><p>"He's loud. Like you." Skywarp pointed out to Starscream, pointing at Nebula.<p>

"He's four kliks old and it's /_cold_/ out here. How would _YOU_ feel?" Starscream snapped back, though it was good-natured.

Skywarp grinned as the sparklings continued to feed while Ratchet attended to Starscream, grumbling over everything he found. Starscream seemed stronger, a cube already half gone in his hand, while his other caressed Sideswipe's face. Sideswipe was now in a natural recharge rather than a forced one, which, according to Ratchet, was a good sign.

"They're so tiny." Fireflight enthused, having moved to watch Skywarp feed them after Thundercracker and Sunstreaker had left. "You're not afraid you'll break them?"

"They won't break, Flight." Skywarp said with a slow smile. "Not unless you drop one, and I don't recommend it."

"Drop my sparkling and I'll drop /_you_/." Starscream said, not unkindly...but it was very clear that he meant it.

"Oh, I'd never!" the younger jet said, aghast. "I just...I don't know...they're so LITTLE." Fireflight's voice grew loud with the last word and Stormshadow's optics flew open, a wail on his lips. Skywarp gave Fireflight a Look. "Kay, buddy. Out. Family time with the Seekers, and despite the fact that you got pretty wings indeed, you ain't one."

Fireflight nodded guiltily and left in a hurry, making Starscream actually laugh.

"That was mean..." Came a mumble from the berth, catching both Seekers' attention. Sideswipe was staring at the sparklings with dim optics. Starscream leaned forward to press a kiss on Sideswipe's cheek which got him a sharp wrap and a ' hold the frag still or I'll weld you to the chair' from Ratchet.

"You're supposed to be recharging." He said with a small chuckle to his scratchy voice.

"Mmm." Sideswipe hummed noncommittally. "Wanted to see 'em."

"They're right here, Siders." Skywarp said softly. Bright crimson optics turned toward the familiar sound of his carrier's voice, and his twin onlined as well, content will full tanks and a warn frame to cuddle against. "You think you can hold 'em?" Skywarp asked.

Sideswipe frowned, considering. "Naw. Can barely talk." His quiet voice was testament to that. "Huh. They looked bigger when they were grey."

"They are." Starscream smiled. "When placed next to Cloudchaser. Seeker frames are inherently larger than grounder frames. You should see our nephew. He fits in Thundercracker's palm."

"They'll upgrade soon." Skywarp said. He maneuvered the twins so that Stormshadow lay across his lap, and he held Nebula up. "Bet you can't guess who this little guy is. The little guy in question opened his little mouth and let out a very large belch.

Skywarp almost offlined laughing. The sparkling, in face at least, was the very image of his sire, right down to the dark face that was so rare among Seekers. The optics were Sideswipe's own blue, though, and that blue gaze considered his carrier and finally he allowed himself a grin. Skywarp switched them around to give Sideswipe a good look at Stormshadow, who was already half in recharge again.

"Thank you, love." Starscream whispered, kissing Sideswipe gently on the lips when he thought Ratchet wasn't looking. He got a towel to the helm for his efforts.

Sideswipe's lips twitched in a tired smile. "So good to see 'em. Though I will miss the 'facing."

Skywarp grinned and Starscream rolled his optics. "There, Sides, you've seen them. Now get some rest. You need it."

Sideswipe hummed, optics finally dimming completely off as he gave in to the urge to recharge, smile on his lips.

* * *

><p>Thundercracker sat upright in the chair, watching his loved ones rest. He'd laid Cloudchaser next to his carrier on the berth, his own frame half-propped beside them both in his chair. He felt as he never had before- complete. Filled. As if he had actually done/ something, had accomplished something. And the smile lingered on his pale lips even after his systems shut down in the most peaceful rest he'd had in awhile.


	16. Chapter 16

_Well hello, faithful readers. Here's the next installment of L&S. We don't have TOO much left; we anticipate perhaps five more chapters and this one will be finished. _

_~~**IMPORTANT**: Warnings for graphic sexual torture. The acts themselves are not depicted, but the content is bad enough that we felt it deserves a special warning. This includes mutilation of interface equipment.~~_

_Other warnings: Fluff, slash of course, mpreg_

_Still isn't ours!_

_Read and review; it keeps us writing!_

* * *

><p>Large golden orbs stared up at the pale faceplates staring at him with absolute adoration and worship. The little finned helm was supported in one big hand, almost smaller than the palm. The rest of the little body was propped in a small basin, the other big hand dribbling water over him and washing suds from his plating. He liked this energy. It was loving and familiar. Cloudchaser tweeted softly, watching the crimson meet his gaze again, a smile blooming over normally serious faceplates.<p>

"Hello, little bit." Thundercracker said softly, taking enormous delight in the way the little blue and gold arms flapped and equally gold and blue legs kicked, splashing water everywhere. The sparkling startled, gaze dropping to the water as his legs continued to kick in reaction. Thundercracker chuckled, glancing to the berth where Sunstreaker continued to rest. It had been four earth hours since Cloudchaser's separation and Sunstreaker was exhausted. Thundercracker's own energy issues had been sorted with enhanced energon and a short nap while his son had dozed on his carrier's chest earlier. Now he was washing the soft plating and feeling like the luckiest mech in the world. Not even the sounds of the medical bay, which were almost muted past the ICU room door, could break into his quiet reverie with his son.

The little Halfer burbled contentedly to himself; he felt safe and warm here surrounded by a familiar energy field. Thundercracker gently wiped a small dribble of sparkling-grade energon from Cloudchaser's lower lip and smiled widely when the sparkling yawned in response, his tiny mouth opening widely.

"Tired, little one?" Thundercracker said softly, lifting Cloudchaser from the basin and onto a soft cloth he'd found. Chaser's optics remained fixed on his sire's as the Seeker dried him off, and he even began to purr softly at the stimulation.

Thundercracker's smile widened and he gently placed the small mechling on his shoulder, the baby's weaker neck keeping his helm supported by said shoulder. Thundercracker stood, snagging one of the warmed blankets Ratchet had brought in and wrapping it around his son and flopping it over his helm before stepping into the busy post-battle medical atmosphere outside the room. He glanced around, noting that not many mechs remained and most were either already in recharge or were one of the few who were getting their minor injuries taken care of.

The fight against Shockwave had ended with a stalemate, the cyclops having rushed back to the Nemesis to help his lord and master. Injuries were bad, the worst of being two minibots and Ironhide who'd ended up getting caught in a powerful explosion that had blown off half a leg and one arm as well as slagged his armor to the pit and back. The red mech was currently in medical stasis, pending post surgery check up from the looks of it. Air Raid was next worst, though he was stable and in the Aerialbots' hangar. Thundercracker quickly and quietly stepped into the room that his trine and their mate were occupying and noted that Sideswipe was still in recharge as well. Not that Thundercracker blamed him. He'd had a tough few hours.

Starscream and Skywarp both looked up simultaneously as Thundercracker entered, twin grins on their faces. Each Seeker held a twin- Starscream was cuddling Stormshadow while Warp was making silly faces at Nebula.

"TeeCEE let me SEE him!" Skywarp said, depositing Nebula on his sire's lap to take Cloudchaser. Thundercracker gave his trinemate an inscrutable look but handed his sparkling over, only just able to stifle the warnings to not drop him or let his little helm flop. Skywarp gathered the tiny sparkling up carefully and held him close to his chest, beaming even more.

Starscream repositioned the twins on his lap, sitting crosslegged, one sparkling propped on each knee. "How's Sunstreaker?" he asked, nodding over at Sideswipe. "Sides is mostly fine, just exhausted from the separation and somewhat dinged up from Megatron." He scowled at the name, and Nebula's little face wrinkled as well as he sneezed.

"Sunstreaker is still in recharge and will probably be for awhile yet." Thundercracker said lightly, kneeling down in front of his trine leader to better view the winglets who were staring at the stranger intently. "They are wonderful."

Starscream seemed to alight with pride. "Aren't they? Perfect, just like their genitors."

"I see your injuries have had no effect on your ego." Thundercracker snorted, carefully lifted the purple and black sparkling with red accents from Starscream's knee. "It's almost frightening how much he resembles Skywarp."

"TC, there isn't a thing wrong with that, least I know he's gonna be handsome." Skywarp said, proving that his ego was almost as large as Starscream's own. "You want to see somebody who looks like their sire, though, look at Neb there. Spitting image of Stars, I swear to Primus."

The winglet in question was peering up at Thundercracker with large blue optics, one hand reaching out clumsily to pat at his face. Dark little faceplates scrunched up when he missed and a piercing shriek came from Nebula, causing his twin to whimper in sympathy.

Thundercracker flinched backwards in surprise and then stared at the sparkling. "I... think he inherited your voice, Scree. At least in the loud factor."

Starscream scowled at Thundercracker, flicking a wing at him in a clear gesture of dismissal. The frown disappeared as soon as Nebula looked up at him and grinned, the crying stopping almost as soon as it started.

Skywarp sat back down and positioned Cloudchaser so that he could examine every bit of the tiny frame, tickling his pedes gently just to see the Halfer smile. "He looks just like his _kali_." the teleporter remarked softly.

Starscream narrowed his optics and motioned for Thundercracker to check outside the door. "Is that Soundwave I hear out there?" He wasn't sure that he wanted the telepath to see his sparklings just yet, his assistance notwithstanding. There was a lot of animosity there, and Star knew it would take awhile to get past all that.

"No. Soundwave isn't in the medical room. I'm pretty sure they've put him in an interrogation room." The blue seeker remarked softly, handing Stormshadow back and retrieving his own son much to a pouting Skywarp's displeasure. Compared to the Seeker sparklings, Cloudchaser was small. He could fit in one of Thundercracker's hands curled up.

"What's the deal with quiet and creepy?" Skywarp asked after he'd purloined one of the twins from Starscream, his little mini-me settling easily into his arms and contenting himself with sucking at Skywarp's plating.

"He attacked Megatron." Starscream said simply. "From his reactions, I gather it was because that bucketheaded aftshaft threatened to force development of Shadow and Nebula in a growth tank, Shockwave was to perform it-" Starscream was cut off by an extremely irate Skywarp.

"That fragging piece of /_shit_/, I'm gonna /_annihilate_/ him!" the black and purple Seeker yelled, scaring Stormshadow enough that the winglet began to sob.

Which set Nebula off, startling Cloudchaser who began wailing as well, faceplates scrunched in distress. Sideswipe stirred and both Thundercracker and Starscream glared at Skywarp as the teleporter struggled to calm his infant.

"Sorry." he said more softly. "I just...how can /_anyone_/...they're SPARKLINGS."

"That's what Soundwave thought as well when he disabled the Constructicons and Megatron." Starscream explained. "I don't know what he did to Shockwave; I wasn't conscious after he shot me."

"HE SHOT- he shot you?" Skywarp asked, quieting down when Shadow looked as though he was going to start wailing again.

"He tried to shoot Sides." Starscream said, his own face growing hard. "He is going to pay for that, one way or another."

"Damn straight." Skywarp said. "I was here, helpin' Sunny...he let me, TC, held my hand and everything." He looked proud of himself.

Thundercracker looked wistful before he tilted his helm. "Are you going to show me the dents?"

Skywarp grinned sheepishly. "He's got... a strong grip."

He held up one hand and showed off a set of four perfectly matched finger marks, wincing slightly in memory. "'S'okay, TC, I knew you'd come and he did too." He /_had_/ been worried about it for a little while, though...

"Did you get the cribs set up?" Starscream asked Skywarp, and the other Seeker nodded. "Yup. The twins are gonna share, and Chaser has his own tiny one." He looked at Thundercracker. "Umm...I was wonderin'. You two aren't gonna...move out on us, are you?" Skywarp was obviously worried.

Thundercracker blinked. "I... We never considered it or talked about anything like that." He mused. "Would you like us to?"

"No!" Starscream and Skywarp said simultaneously and Thundercracker snorted, Cloudchaser finally settling again with little hiccups.

"We're trine, and a family." Skywarp insisted, rubbing over his spark almost idly. "Don't leave us just cause there's littles around."

"Besides, with all five of us in one room, no one will suffer too harshly from interrupted recharge when they all begin demanding fuel in the middle of offcycle." Starscream pointed out.

Oddly, almost as soon as Starscream mentioned fuel, Cloudchaser began chewing on his fist in a definite bid to get something out of it. He pulled his hand out sadly and whimpered, looking for the large hand that he knew would fill his tiny tanks.

"Think your bit is hungry." The teleporter grinned.

Thundercracker chuckled, activating his feeding protocols and bringing the extension to his Cloudchaser's lips. The sparkling immediately latched on, suckling greedily. Golden optics dimmed in contentment and Thundercracker was enthralled all over again. Starscream and Skywarp exchanged smiles over his helm.

"Never thought that all it'd take to tame the great Thundercracker was a bitlet the size of his hand." Skywarp teased.

"He is the most precious thing I have ever seen." Thundercracker admitted quietly.

Starscream nodded slowly. "I...wasn't sure that I would feel so strong an attachment so quickly, but now I know that I would do anything for any of these sparklings, even if it meant losing my life."

Thundercracker and Skywarp agreed completely and they all stared down at the quiet sparklings, Nebula nodding off and Stormshadow tugging with his minimal strength at his sire's plating and Cloudchaser busily filling up his little tanks.

It was a perfect moment in lives sorely needing it.

Soundwave sat stiffly in the uncomfortable chair, waiting for someone to walk through the doors to the interrogation room. His cassettes had been confiscated and the missing weight and presences put him on edge.

Jazz entered the interrogation room, his visor bright with more than a little interest. The weld lines from the battle with Shockwave were almost gone, and he didn't even walk with a limp anymore.

"First thing Ah'm gonna tell ya is that your cassettes are all fine; they're just in the brig 'cause your twins said they was gonna tear this Ark down if we hurt ya."

Soundwave's own visor brightened in relief. He had already known this, thanks to his telepathy and his bond with his creations, but it was somewhat reassuring to note that Jazz wasn't lying to him.

"Information: appreciated. Cassettes: occasionally rowdy. Containment: necessary at this time." He tilted his helm before adding, "Starscream: functional?"

Jazz looked at him, not showing any curiosity or interest. "Screamer's doin' fine."

"Sparklings' conditions?"

"The sparklin's are just fine too. Right now we're talkin' 'bout you, Soundwave."

Soundwave fell silent, waiting for Jazz's inevitable questions.

"What're your intentions?" Jazz asked, his face betraying nothing. Soundwave attempted a light mental probe as a matter of reflex, and the Ops mech actually scowled. "None 'a that, now."

"Apologies." Soundwave murmured. "Intent: reside peacefully with Autobot faction."

"/_**You**_/?" Jazz said, clearly disbelieving. "You're the most loyal 'Con Megs has!"

"Soundwave: attacked Shockwave, Megatron when intent to harm sparklings was made clear. Consequences: no longer welcome on Nemesis under threat of abuse, rape, Cassette destruction."

Jazz was silent as was the three other officers on the other side of the two way window. Prowl looked impassive, Blaster's arms were crossed and he looked speculative and Optimus was sitting to keep his weight off his damaged pede.

"Can Starscream confirm any of this?" He asked softly.

"I can certainly find out." Prowl said, entering something on the ever present datapad in his servo.

"Please do so immediately. Those are strong accusations." Prime said, and Prowl left the room to go to medbay, where he was sure Starscream still was. Optimus Prime looked back in the room, wishing that he could see Soundwave's face- it was so much easier to read a mech's intentions when they didn't hide all that they were.

Inside the room, Jazz folded his arms and stared at the telepath. "Those're pretty strong accusations, Sounders."

The frown was plain in the slightly grating tone, though there was something else as well...humor, maybe? "Designation: Soundwave. Not 'Sounders'. Accusations: truthful. Corroboration: possible. Aware: Starscream, Thundercracker, Ravage. Examination: Can prove prior abuse." Soundwave's vocal filter made him sound so dispassionate about it that it was difficult for /_anyone_/ to believe.

Prowl entered medbay to find Starscream holding one of his winglets, his index finger extended into the bitlet's mouth. The tactician was not sure what their designations were, and so he just nodded at the Seeker and the sparkling rather than greet it by name.

Starscream gave Prowl a suspicious look. He /_really_/ didn't like the Praxian, and it was painfully obvious that the feeling was mutual. "What is it, Prowl? I'm feeding one of the twins."

"I can see that, but you are needed in interrogation room B5. We need a story corroborated before we can do anything further." Prowl said simply.

"Soundwave." Starscream said flatly. "One moment, let me see if Sky can take Nebula." The Seeker stood up and sauntered off, obviously in no rush, still feeding Nebula as he entered the room. He exited almost as soon as he'd went in, still carrying the sparkling. "They're both in recharge. I have to bring him." The look on the former SIC's face made it eminently clear that he wasn't leaving his sparkling anywhere.

Prowl's normally straight face turned into a frown. "Starscream. An interrogation room is hardly the place for a sparkling. Surely Thundercracker can take him for the time being."

"Thundercracker is busy with his own mate and sparkling. Nebula is /_my_/ responsibility while my own mates are resting. He is coming, or neither of us are." Starscream said, optics narrowed. He /_definitely_/ didn't appreciate Prowl trying to tell him how to handle his own son.

The Praxian's doorwings rose and his optics flashed. "I am not questioning your ability to take care of your offspring, Starscream. However, we are still a military base and I am the Second in Command _and_ your superior with your denouncement of the Decepticons. Your title of Winglord has no hold here and an infant has no place in an atmosphere that can be detrimental to his emotional state at the present time." Cold and efficient he may be, but Prowl was far from sparkless.

"You're /_ordering_/ me to find a sitter for Nebula." Starscream's tone was flat, and his wings rose high in affront. "Fine. Whatever." /_That_/ was a human expression that fit Starscream so well that he used it even with his dislike for the squishies and their weird-aft terms. Starscream glared at Prowl and entered Sunstreaker's room, his voice audible as he'd left the door open.

"Thundercracker, I'm needed in interrogation, apparently they can't handle Soundwave without my help. Prowl is ordering me to drop Nebula off rather than bring him. Can you continue feeding him and watch him while I'm gone?"

Thundercracker rose an optic ridge and was, as always, the voice of reason. "Starscream, do not start questioning authority and pushing boundaries. Like it or not, we're still neutrals seeking sanctuary. I have no problem watching Nebula."

Starscream's wings flicked in a gesture that spoke eloquently of what he thought of Prowl's authority. He sighed, though. "Fine, fine." He took his finger out of Nebula's mouth, prompting a definite protest, and placed the winglet on Thundercracker's lap. "Who would I be if I didn't, though?" he asked his trinemate with an almost sweet grin.

Thundercracker rolled his optics, easily placing his own finger in Nebula's mouth to finish feeding him. "Yeah, yeah. Go be a pain in the aft."

"Oh, don't worry." Star grinned, walking out of the room and closing the door softly. He returned to Prowl, now sparkling-free, and raised both optic ridges. "There. Happy now?"

"Haven't you been informed?" Prowl answered wryly. "I am never happy." Without another word he turned and beckoned Starscream to follow him.

Starscream stared. Did Prowl just make a /_joke_/? He shook his head in disbelief before following the SIC to the interrogation chamber, where Prime and Blaster gave Starscream a nod of greeting as they entered.

Starscream leaned nonchalantly against the wall. "So. Why did you bring me here again? Something about corroboration? What /_did_/ that drone Soundwave tell you?"

Jazz, also in the room once more, pushed himself straight. "We've got ol' Sounders sayin' that he attacked Megahead and One Optic. Because they were wantin' to hurt the sparklins. Pretty steep accusations."

"I saw him attack Megatron. He did it mentally, not physically." Starscream said. "Shockwave was apparently going to force their development artificially after removing them from Sideswipe." Starscream glared steadily at the wall. "I don't know what he did to Shockwave; I had already been shot by Shockwave, who'd aimed at my mate."

Optimus, even through his facemask, looked horrified. "Not even Megatron would-"

"Face it, Prime. Not everyone follows the same sets of morals that you do. Megatron, twisted sick bastard that he is, wants warriors. My sparklings were just one way to get them and get back at me."

"That's disgustin'." Jazz said flatly. "Mech needs to die."

"No slag, really?" Starscream said. "I intend to see that happen myself."

Prime opened his mouth to say something, anything about how violence was rarely the answer, but then he thought again about what, exactly, Megatron had tried to do...and found that he couldn't say a word at the moment. Prowl saw his leader's distress and spoke instead.

"You cannot be allowed to return to the Nemesis for several reasons, your own personal safety being one. My calculations predict that there is a 98.3% chance that he would deactivate you on sight."

Before Starscream could argue as he clearly wanted to, Optimus cut in. "He's right. Starscream, you and your trine are off any kind of active duty list even as a volunteer. You have sparklings that need taking care of. Same goes for the twins."

Starscream pursed his lips, clearly not liking this, but also realizing that it made sense. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were unlikely to be able to do much for the next few cycles other than recover from the separation and take care of their bitlets; the Seekers needed to be there. Also, he respected Optimus Prime, though he'd likely not admit it to anyone other than his mates or his trine.

"Fine, Prime, though I reserve the right to argue that should I feel you need my particular...expertise in the matter."

Jazz turned to the Seeker once more, a frown on his face. "One more thing Ah need confirmation on, if ya know it. Soundwave said that he was...abused. This true?"

Starscream froze, still extremely uncomfortable with discussing this. He knew that everyone in the room except Blaster probably already knew of his own treatment, but that didn't mean he wanted to talk about it.

"He said he was." Starscream was unwilling to say for certain, because he just didn't know. He knew what had happened to him and on rare occasions his trinemates. He'd never /_seen_/ Soundwave treated that way.

"But you cannot confirm this for sure." Prowl stated, not asked. "He could very well be lying."

"No, I can't confirm it." Starscream bit out, and Jazz tilted his head. "Can ya stay here for just a few, Star?" The Seeker nodded slowly, crossing his arms, and Jazz re-entered the interrogation room.

"Well, Starscream confirms one but not th' other." Jazz said. "Says he don't know if you were abused, never saw it. That true?"

"Starscream: not present during attacks." Soundwave said almost defensively. "Soundwave: will submit to examination to prove accusation if required."

"Think that'd be best." Jazz said. "Scuse me again." He returned to the other room.

"Ah feel like a ping-pong ball. Anyway, he says he'll submit to an exam t'prove it."

"As brutal as that fragger is, if he was...was raped, he'll show signs. Besides, Soundwave /_had_/ no partners onboard, so..." Starscream offered, and Prime nodded.

"That may well be the next step in this. If he is speaking the truth, then he indeed has good reason for wishing sanctuary with the Autobots."

"The possibility still exists that he is an infiltrator, though." Prowl stated dispassionately.

Starscream gave Prowl a speculative look. "If he is, then I'll be /_very_/ surprised. I think he's for real. I may dislike him, but the rage I saw when he attacked Megatron...it seemed genuine."

"Ya know boss-bot... Ah think Screamer here's tellin' the truth." Blaster spoke up, having been watching Soundwave the entire time. "There's inconsistencies and holes in his stories an' if ah know Soundwave his tune's always playin' to a beat that's on repeat. There's no repeat here."

"Do tell me what I have to gain by lying, Blaster." Starscream said, eyeing the mech as if angry. "My mates and sparklings live here too, and if I'm found to be dishonest, I could lose sanctuary. How dumb do you think I am?"

"Now put yerself on pause for a klik, mech. Nobot's puttin' ya on blast." Blaster holds up his servos. "Merely sayin' that what yer sayin' can be used ta confirm the tune Soundwave's dancin' to. Ya feel me?"

Starscream stared at Blaster as he tried to process the mech's odd way of speaking, but it didn't take long. "All right." the Seeker finally said, his wings still hiked high in apprehension and stress reaction. "Where are his sparklings?" he asked, and to his own shock, no one looked surprised to hear him refer to the cassettes as such.

"They are in the brig." Prowl replied, and Starscream scowled again.

"You lock up _sparklings_."

"Where else do ya want us to put 'em?" Jazz asked, incredulous.

"How about with their creator?" Starscream challenged.

"Not till we know he, and them, can be trusted." Jazz fired back. "C'mon, Screamer, you know this."

"Don't call me that, Jazz." Starscream said, shooting the TIC a dirty look.

Jazz grinned unrepentantly.

Optimus sighed. "It is not ideal, Starscream. But sparklings or no, just Rumble and Frenzy alone can cause a massive amount of havoc if allowed free at the present time. When everything has been confirmed we will release them back to Soundwave. Until then, Blaster and his cassettes have offered to keep them company while we wait."

Starscream sighed once more and nodded at Blaster; even he knew that cassettes enjoyed the company of other cassettes. "Fine. Can I /_go_/ now?" he asked, almost whining. He was on edge and needed /_something_/; what, he wasn't sure.

"Yes. Thank you, Starscream. You've helped us a great deal." Optimus smiled, standing as best he could, weight gingerly held off his injury.

Starscream gave the Prime a genuine smile and left immediately, heading back to his family. When the door closed behind him, Jazz burst into laughter.

"He's /_still_/ a piece of work, ain't he?"

"Insubordinate and disrespectful would be the terms I would use." Prowl said mildly.

Jazz shook his head. "Prowl, ya gotta get used t'him. He ain't goin' nowhere, I don't reckon, and yer just gonna give yourself a permanent glitch if ya try an' change him." With that, he returned to Soundwave, gesturing for the telepath to follow him.

"Gonna take ya to Ratch for that exam now." he explained, and Soundwave stood and nodded, exiting the room after Jazz.

Sideswipe was awake when Starscream returned, Stormshadow resting in one arm and Nebula in the other. Thundercracker was sitting on the chair next to Sunstreaker's berth which had been wheeled in. The yellow lambo was awake, but groggy. Cloudchaser was firmly in recharge, little servo stuffed in his mouth which he randomly sucked on in his sleep.

The red twin glanced up as Starscream came back in, smiling brightly. "Heya Screamer."

Starscream stuck his glossa out at his mate at the nickname and pulled up a chair of his own. "How are you feeling, love?" he asked, brushing Sideswipe's cheek with the back of his left hand. "And where did Warp go?"

"I /_think_/ he went to our quarters for a little while." Thundercracker explained. "He said he needed to clear the charge from his systems." This was said matter-of-factly with no hint of embarrassment.

"Oh..." Starscream's face heated. He supposed that with as often as they'd been... intimate lately their natural urges were far less suppressed. "I see."

Sideswipe grinned sheepishly. "I'd have offered to help but I've already been threatened to be welded to this berth and I have them." His optics danced with joy over his sons.

"Maybe I should go help him." Starscream mused, glancing at Sideswipe to see what he thought of this. He didn't want to upset him, especially after the scene that had resulted in Sideswipe's capture.

Sideswipe whined. "Frag and I can't come watch!"

Something collided with the side of Sideswipe's helm, both sparklings startling and staring up at their carrier with wide optics full of interest and curiosity. Sideswipe glared at his suddenly more aware brother. "The frag, Sunny?!"

"Stop. Cursing. In Front. Of. My Son."

Starscream raised an optic ridge. "Tell you what, Sideswipe, if you don't mind me going...I'll record it. /_All_/ of it. And Sunny, Cloudchaser isn't even a cycle old, he doesn't know frag from friend."

Thundercracker wanted to laugh, but he actually agreed with his mate. "I do not want the sparklings' first words to be curses." he said, looking down worshipfully at his tiny son.

"They won't be." Sideswipe huffed. He stared at Starscream and grinned. "You'd do that for me, sugarthrusters?"

Sunstreaker merely glared at Starscream too, one golden servo laying over his son, nearly enveloping him.

This time Starscream threw a towel at his mate. "Of course I would. Be back later!" The red, white, and blue Seeker left the room as if his wings were on fire, not wanting Skywarp to finish before he could get there. Thundercracker did laugh then, shaking his head.

"Insatiable. It will get worse when Skywarp enters stage two, though."

"That's soon, right?" Sideswipe's voice purred.

Sunstreaker, in the mean time, eyed his brother. Sideswipe did seem over the incident already, but with Sideswipe one never quite knew. It was waiting for a moment for him to slip up and reveal how he felt. "Primus help me, I hope Ratchet lets us keep this room for a while..."

Thundercracker actually smirked at his mate. "Why, not wishing to see Star and Skywarp right now?" He privately thought that he certainly wouldn't mind seeing it, but kept that to himself. He didn't want to upset Sunstreaker right now. "And yes, it should be fairly soon for Skywarp's second stage, if I am correct as to when he was sparked."

Sideswipe seemed enthusiastic, his sparkling picking up on the excitement and chirping happily, both of them grinning around their own fingers at him. Sideswipe felt his spark melt.

"No, I mean we're not going to get any decent recharge between Skywarp needing to be regularly fragged and getting up at unprimusly hours to feed them."

"Thought we didn't curse around the sparklings." Sideswipe sniffed. Sunstreaker shot him a scathing glare.

"I doubt very seriously that Skywarp will interface in front of the sparklings." Thundercracker stated, giving Sunstreaker a look. He wondered what was bothering him...he seemed to have less patience than normal...not that that was a lot to begin with.

Starscream entered their quarters, a grin on his dark face. He stopped dead in his tracks, though, when he saw the scene before him.

Skywarp was on the large berth, laying propped on a pile of pillows. His lips were parted, glossa barely protruding from them, vents pouring hot air as the fingers of one hand delicately teased just the flared head of his spike. His other hand circled his valve entrance, his fingertips already glistening in the dim light.

Starscream immediately started recording; he didn't want to miss a /_moment_/ of this.

* * *

><p>Optimus was staring at his piles of datapads, willing them to do themselves, when Ratchet stalked into his office and dropped into the seat across from him without preamble. The Prime glanced up with some confusion, noting that Ratchet was in a rather... murderous looking mood. Uh oh. Well it couldn't be the twins this time, they were still recovering from the separations. He thought furiously for several moments before coming up blank.<p>

"Ratchet?"

"I want you to put me at the top of the list for the first potshot at Megatron's big shiny aft for a helm." The medic growled, making his Prime blink.

"I'm sorry?"

"Soundwave." Ratchet said in an odd sort of explanation. "As much as it sickens me, I believe it's my duty to explain to you exactly what that mech has been through."

Prime steeled himself, his spark sinking in his chest. He had a strong suspicion that he knew what Ratchet was going to say.

When Ratchet began speaking, though, he felt an almost overwhelming urge to purge his tanks. It was far, far worse than he has suspected.

"I examined Soundwave just moments ago in my own medbay based upon claims made by Soundwave himself that he had been, as he put it, "abused" by Megatron while under his command." The medic's voice took on an almost mechanical tone; Prime rather thought this was in self-defense, to distance himself from what he had to say.

"Soundwave has no injuries that are visible upon cursory examination of his outer frame, unlike Starscream. However, when I removed his interface panel, I discovered that it had been modified with a device that protrudes into the valve. This device conducts electricity and can be activated remotely. The voltage is enough to cause electrical burns to the valve lining, and the examination backed up those findings, showing scarring indicating repeated usage over a long period of time. The valve lining itself has healed incorrectly more than once, and is partially detached from the pelvic array." Ratchet took a deep breath. "Soundwave's spike was removed in a nonsurgical manner as well."

Prime had nothing to say. This went beyond cruelty. This was insanity. "Primus..."

"It doesn't stop there." Ratchet hissed, slamming his servo on the desk with such force it dented. "There was scarring on his /_sparkcasing_/. You do know what that means, don't you?"

"He was sparkraped." Prime said, and Ratchet nodded. "It takes a truly sick individual to do that, one who is certain that his victim will do nothing to fight back. According to Soundwave, and I believe him at this point, Megatron threatened to repeat each act upon each of his cassettes if he fought him physically or mentally."

"... On /_sparklings_/?!" Prime could have rivaled Starscream in shrillness in that moment, his words strangled and absolutely horrified.

Ratchet nodded mutely. He /_had_/ purged while Soundwave mechanically reported this little fact. "I can fix his frame, even give him back the rest of his interface array. I /_don't_/ know if I can fix his mind, especially as he claims to be unharmed from the experiences. I believe that's the biggest pile of pitscrap in the universe. It'll take time, though, if at all. But I think we should release the cassettes to Soundwave's custody. Whether you want to give him the run of the Ark is your business, but it's my personal opinion that the only thing he's likely to give that sick son of a glitch is the business end of his sonic cannon."

Prime was fairly shaking with rage. "Yes. Of course. Thank you Ratchet. We'll make accommodations for Soundwave as soon as we have the space."

Ratchet nodded again. "I'm going back to medbay, going to get him repaired." He could see the rage in his leader's optics and knew that it mirrored the rage in his own. "You can go ahead and send them to medbay too. 'Wave said they weren't touched, but I want to make sure."

"Yes, of course." Prime said as calmly as he could manage. He commed Bluestreak, who was minding the cassettes down in the brig, and informed him that he needed to escort them to medbay to meet with their creator. He could hear Rumble and Frenzy whoop for joy, and Prime resolved to tear /_Megatron's_/ spike off and make him eat it if one micron of those sparklings' plating had been touched by him.

The cassettes had arrived, greeting their creator with more joy and caring that Ratchet had given them credit for being capable of, and he'd scanned each of them carefully. Thankfully, none of them showed any sign of anything close to what Soundwave or the Seekers had gone through, a fact that visibly relieved Soundwave as well.

So Soundwave hadn't been sure himself. That wasn't really reassuring, but if it kept the telepath calm that was a good thing for now. "You slaggers are staying here in the ICU until further notice and under close observation. Don't touch anything you know you shouldn't or frag it I will weld every one of you to the berths just to keep you from being pains in my aft."

Soundwave stiffened at the threat, Ratchet quick to give him a glare. "Don't get your tailpipes in a twist, I tell all my patients that."

Soundwave said very quietly, "Cassettes: under my constant protection. Threats: not generally made unless serious. Soundwave: will...will try to learn that Ratchet makes threats only because Ratchet cares."

Ratchet gave Soundwave a slow nod; the telepath was insightful even when not reading another mech's processor. "Do you want them here while I repair you? And...I have a very personal question." He gave Soundwave's creations a neutral look and then said it as delicately as possible. "Do you wish for me to restore what was taken from you?"

Soundwave slid aside his battlemask /_and_/ his visor to look Ratchet directly in the optics; Soundwave's own optics were brilliant white in shade, blazing with emotion. His lips were tight, almost as if in a silent scream.

"Ratchet cannot restore the entirety of what Soundwave has lost." His voice was almost pleasant when not spoken through the vocal filter, though the vocal patterns were still somewhat odd. "Ratchet may repair Soundwave's frame to full functionality. Cassettes: join Blaster, Blaster's creations in Rec Room Two." He looked at each of them in turn, Rumble looking concerned, oddly enough.

"Pops, ya sure ya gonna be okay?"

"Functional." Soundwave said, and his tone was gentle. Each one of his creations gave him a hug before filing out of the medbay, and Ratchet watched them with the tiniest of smiles. When he turned back, Soundwave had replaced both mask and visor and had stretched out on the medberth, waiting.

Ratchet huffed, rolling his optics. "Primus, you'd think a mech was waiting for me to gut them alive rather than fix them, the way they act in here." He grumbled, moving to get his tools ready.

Soundwave gazed impassively at the medic through his visor, tracking his movements. He didn't completely trust this place, despite the fact that he knew he wasn't going to be treated nearly as badly as his now-former commander had.

"Ratchet: has a reputation for perfection. Temper: uncertain. Alliance: new. Ambivalence: high." he admitted softly. "Creations: safe here?" He hated himself for asking, but he needed to know.

"Yes." Ratchet said brusquely. "We don't hurt sparklings. Now that we know that's what they are." The medic finished getting his cart ready and wheeled it over to Soundwave. He picked up a device. "This," He explained. "Is a remote activated killswitch. I'm sure you know how they work and why we're using it. Prove to us you're trustworthy and it'll be removed, etc etc, blah blah blah." he dropped the device back to tray and sighed. "Alright. Let's get started."

* * *

><p>Thundercracker hesitated at the doorway to the room where his trinemates and Sideswipe were currently chatting. He held Cloudchaser close to himself and finally just walked in.<p>

Starscream brightened at the sight of the tiny Halfer and his _kalu_. "Hey, TC. What's up? How's Sunny doing?" Nebula and Stormshadow were both currently in deep recharge, entwined with each other in a small railed berth that had been made for them.

Thundercracker sighed. "Hoist is looking him over." He said, sitting next to his trineleader. "He feels tired still. Hoist is making sure there was nothing damaged with the forced early delivery."

Skywarp frowned. "You mean he wasn't due yet? Is that gonna hurt Chaser there?" Skywarp felt a bit of kinship with his "nephew"; he'd gotten to name him, after all. "Thought the twins got sparked at about the same time." The smirk at that memory rivaled Starscream's own.

Starscream leaned back in his chair. "You can lay him with the twins if you want; he looks like he's about to fall into recharge as well. So do you." the former Air Commander pointed out.

"I am fine." Thundercracker murmured. "And I would like to hold him longer." He stared down at his son who was chewing on his own fingers to stay awake. A battle he was quickly losing. "Neither Sideswipe or Sunstreaker were due for another two weeks or so. Ratchet said the stress of the situation caused Sideswipe to start early as a self preservation attempt. And Sunny... Well."

"Sparktwins." Sideswipe finished.

"That is certainly interesting." Starscream said.

"You're already attached, aren't you." Skywarp said, a soft smile on his lips. "Don't blame ya, I wouldn't give the twins up for anything."

Cloudchaser yawned, his tiny mouth open wide, then golden optics shuttered several times, his hand trying to wrap itself around his _kalu's_ finger.

A smile bloomed over Thundercracker's face. "He is amazing."

Starscream eyed them for a moment. "I haven't held him yet." He said simply. "How do you feel confident doing that? He is... extremely small. Even smaller than the twins."

"Because he is my son and I know I will not harm him." Thundercracker said simply. He held Cloudchaser out toward his trineleader, knowing that Starscream would no more hurt him than Sunstreaker would. "Hold him. You will see that he is every bit as sturdy as your twins, for all that he is half their size." The blue flier almost glowed with pride, talking about his son.

The tricolored seeker looked at the sparkling who was now staring at him, hand in his mouth again. Starscream smiled at him and Cloudchaser grinned around his fingers as his uncle took him with the utmost care.

Sideswipe watched him with a smile, snuggled into Skywarp's side. "Awww. I think we need a picture."

Skywarp immediately took an image capture and databurst it to Thundercracker, Sideswipe, and Starscream. Star barely noticed the file; he was entranced by the tiny hands and the unwavering trust that he saw in Cloudchaser's golden optics.

"Does he know who I am?" he whispered. He gently rubbed between Chaser's shoulder-winglets, and he purred loudly, the sound almost bigger than he was.

"Not likely." Thundercracker answered, arms feeling distinctly empty without his son's miniscule weight. "But he will."

Cloudchaser was dropping off far more quickly now that Starscream was rubbing the sensitive place between his winglets. It felt good and he continued purring even as his optics shut off.

Starscream's smile was wide a he lulled the Halfer to recharge, finally handing him back to his _kalu_ with more than a little reluctance. "If you need a sitter, bring him." Starscream said firmly.

"Yeah, we'll prob'ly be askin' you pretty soon ourselves." Skywarp said with a smirk.

Thundercracker was practically beaming, the small groundling tucked close to his chest. He focused the heat in his frame there to keep him warm. "I see he is showing his quality already."

"He's a sweet kid." Skywarp stated. "Oh, Primus." he swore. "Speakin' of kids. SOUNDWAVE'S brood is running around. Think they put killswitches in them too?" He looked horrified at the thought.

"In sparklings?" Sideswipe seemed unbothered. "No way. Hatchet would be up anyone's tailpipe who so much as suggested it. Not to mention the holy pit Blaster would raise."

Starscream nodded. "Soundwave will likely be fitted with one, at least he'd damned well better." The Seeker frowned. "If we had to, so should he. He was far more loyal than any of us and I /_still_/ don't trust him. This could be some sort of elaborate trick."

"Babe, don't worry so much. Jazz and Blaster and Red are all on it. Poor Red almost had a conniption fit I'm sure." Sideswipe grinned, moving to sprawl in Skywarp's lap and lay his helm against Starscream's hand, practically demanding attention.

Starscream looked down at Sideswipe and snorted. "Feeling neglected, are we?" He began to play with his audial horns almost idly, thinking. Skywarp shifted to get more comfortable and he started rubbing Sides' shoulders.

"So Blaster's watching him." It wasn't a question. "I think they knew each other before the war." Starscream said. "Blaster seems to...take much of what Soundwave says at face value, anyway. Red Alert may be paranoid beyond all reasoning but I will say he's good at his job."

Sideswipe shrugged, purring almost in tandem with Cloudchaser now.

"Someone thinks that feels good." Skywarp grinned.

"Mhm."

Thundercracker smiled before tilting his helm. "Hoist is done with Sunstreaker. May I leave him here?"

Starscream smiled. "Of course." Skywarp just gave his trinemate a knowing smirk.

"Have fun, and tomorrow you have bitlet detail." Starscream gave Skywarp a dirty look and whapped him gently in the helm. "Pervert." he said, though it was obvious that Star was teasing.

"I'm missing something here." Sideswipe purred lazily from across their laps, as Thundercracker laid his tiny son next to his cousins in the criblike berth Grapple had made for them. He left quickly, avoiding any awkward conversation.

"You won't be for long." Skywarp promised, leaning down to give Sideswipe a kiss.

* * *

><p>Thundercracker hurried back to Sunstreaker's room, stopping to retrieve a cube of midgrade for each of them. He peeked in to see if his mate was recharging still, or had he finally awakened.<p>

Sunstreaker was awake again, actually seeming more energized than he had the handful of times he's awoken in between naps. Hoist glanced up from his notes with a bright smile. "Hello, Thundercracker."

The golden mech's helm swung around and then he frowned. "Where's Chase?"

Thundercracker walked in, closing the door firmly behind him. He held out Sunstreaker's cube and sat next to him on the berth. "Cloudchaser is resting comfortably next to Nebula and Stormshadow." He took a sip from his own cube. "I figured that it would be appropriate for us to have a few moments to ourselves."

Sunstreaker made a small _oh_ sound, taking a sip from the cube Thundercracker had brought him.

"What was wrong?" The blue seeker asked, taking Sunstreaker's hand and stroking the back of it with his thumb. Sunstreaker shrugged.

"Hoist says my spark needed to recover from the separation. It wasn't ready for it."

"Please tell me that you are going to be all right." Thundercracker's inherently calm nature prevented him from reacting outwardly, but something within him quailed at the thought of losing Sunstreaker now. The only sign of his worry was the fact that he grasped Sunny's hand instead of merely rubbing it.

"He'll be just fine. The resting is helping, but merely being in a calm environment will help most. It wasn't that Sunstreaker's spark wasn't physically ready, it wasn't emotionally ready to lose that connection. That it happened so suddenly gave him a slight shock." Hoist explained. "He should be fine given a full night's rest."

"I will take Cloudchaser to our quarters, then, so that he does not wake you." Thundercracker said. "You can remain here where it is quiet."

Hoist nodded in approval. "That would help, yes. You have all appropriate sparkling care protocols, yes?"

"Of course." The Seeker looked mildly offended at the suggestion that he didn't.

Sunstreaker frowned at both of them. "Forget it."

"Sunny..."

Sunstreaker glared at his mate. "No. I'm not a fragging invalid! I need to be where Cloudchaser is!"

"You also need your rest so that your spark has a chance to stabilize." Thundercracker said, frowning down at his mate. "I know that you want to take care of him but it is /_no_/ weakness to require one night of rest after such trauma."

"I said I'm not staying here, and I'm not!" Sunstreaker growled.

Sunstreaker, you are being needlessly stubborn." Thundercracker said, frowning. "However..." He paused, looking at the medic. "If Hoist says that you are medically fit to care for your son this night, I will accept that and you may come with us. If he does not, you are staying here if I have to bind you to this berth." Thundercracker isn't joking, and it shows.

Sunstreaker growled, optics flaring in stubborn irritation. "Slag off!"

Hoist merely shakes his helm in exasperation. Sunstreaker was often like this, it was nothing new. "If he takes it easy and /_rests_/ I see no issue with him doing so in his quarters. Just remember, quiet and rest."

TC frowned at his mate. "Someone is looking for some discipline." he said, arching an optic ridge. "Though that too will have to wait until you are recovered sufficiently." He had agreed to follow Hoist's recommendation, though, and as such, he offered a hand to Sunstreaker.

"Would you like to go to our quarters for a short while first, or pick Cloudchaser up now? I assure you that he is napping and in good hands at the moment."

Before Sunstreaker could answer, Hoist cut in, much to the golden warrior's annoyance. "I don't want him walking any long distances."

Thundercracker /_smiled_/. "Then I shall carry him. It is no hardship." He knew that Sunstreaker was going to pitch a /_fit_/ about this, though. He didn't care. He simply scooped up his mate and moved toward the door. "Obviously, we are going to our quarters. I will return for Chaser."

Sunstreaker cursed at his mate, ignoring the amused wave goodbye from Hoist. "Thundercracker! Put me down! Slag it, I'm not /_crippled_/!"

"No." Thundercracker said, moving toward their quarters. "Your medic said that you do not need to walk; therefore you are not walking. That is /_final_/, love. I will not risk you." Indeed, his tone was rather firm, and he was stronger than Sunstreaker and Sunny knew it.

"He said I don't need to be walking /_long_/ distances!" Sunstreaker growled. He hated being coddled. It made him feel weak. "Pretty sure he meant getting 'Chase and then going to quarters."

"I shall use my own judgement for that." TC said mildly. It wasn't too far to the hangar they used as their shared quarters, and it was deserted, of course; everyone else was in medbay. He deposited his mate on the berth and smiled down at him before joining him, holding the golden twin close.

"I need this for a few moments." he said truthfully.

Sunstreaker felt awkward, but slowly relaxed into the embrace. "I'm fine, TC. Just undercharged. You heard Hoist."

"Still." the Seeker insisted. "I just wish to hold you for a little while." Thundercracker usually didn't admit to such things, but to Sunny...that was okay. "As for being undercharged, I have some decent highgrade should you want it...?" He didn't figure it would harm him.

"With 'Chaser coming back?" He asked. normally, Sunstreaker would have been all over it. Highgrade, especially Vosnian Highgrade as he'd learned, was wonderful on the glossa. Except Sunstreaker had decided that he would prove those mini slaggers /_wrong_/. He would be a good parent and take care of his child and he doubted drinking before bringing his newborn home was the way to do it.

"One will not overcharge you, and I will not have any." Thundercracker said. "Moderation, love." He sat up and unsubspaced the midsized cube, the golden glow of Vosnian high grade looking rather well against Sunstreaker's plating.

Sunstreaker eyed it before taking it and sipping at it. Of course, one sip turned into a gulp which turned into the cube being drained as it recharged some of his systems. "Frag, that's good." He sighed, leaning into Thundercracker. Still, his arms felt strangely empty.

"Are you going to get 'Chaser?"

"In a few moments." Thundercracker said, moving to hold his mate close. "Would you prefer it if I did? I thought you might like a little while alone with me." he said. It wasn't that he didn't want to be near his son- frag, he adored the bitlet already. He just wanted to make things easier for Sunny.

"I want him." Sunstreaker said fiercely. "I mean, I li- love- spending time with you TC... But I /_need_/ him." Sunstreaker had been aware of an aching emptiness in his chamber since the separation and it only eased when Cloudchaser was in his arms. He was his tie to Thundercracker, the being that tied their sparks to each other when they themselves could not.

Thundercracker smiled softly and nodded, letting go of Sunstreaker after a brief kiss. "I understand. Give me a few moments; I will be back with him." He rose from the berth and headed to medbay to retrieve their son.

Sideswipe watched in amusement as Thundercracker did his best to talk Skywarp into giving up his son. His own were cuddled against him, one in recharge, the other chewing on a red servo and watching the interaction keenly. More like watching the other sparkling who was squeaking and chirping shrilly along with Skywarp refusing to give him up.

"But Tee_Ceeeeeee_." Skywarp whined. "He has to know who his uncles are too!"

"Sunstreaker wants him." Thundercracker said firmly, holding out his hands for Cloudchaser. "He has not gotten to spend an adequate amount of time with him, and it is important that the bond grows. You know this, Skywarp."

Skywarp pouted, lip stuck out and everything, while Starscream poked his trinemate. "Sky, you have two on you already, and one /_inside_/ you. You love sparklings, it's plain, and you WILL get another chance to spoil Chaser rotten. Promise."

"_Fiiiiiiiiiiine_." Skywarp said, handing the Halfer to his _kalu_.

Sideswipe pet Nebula's helm where they were reclining on the berth. "See that, little guy? They're all flitter-glitches." The sparkling looks up at him with his round blue optics, chirping around the servo in his mouth.

Thundercracker glowered at Sideswipe who stuck his glossa out as the big Seeker left, sparkling firmly tucked in his arm.

Thundercracker quickly arrived back at their quarters, though several mechs had stopped him to admire Cloudchaser, Most people had never even /_seen_/ a sparkling, or hadn't seen one in so long it was new enough to them. Their door opened and Chaser sensed his _kali_, chirring happily.

Susntreaker sat up instantly, arms out. "Let me see him." he said, the need to have his son with him overwhelming.

TC smiled and hurriedly handed Chaser over to Sunstreaker, sitting next to him on the berth. "Thank you, Sunstreaker." he said, very serious. His fingertips traced his son's tiny features.

Sunstreaker stared down at the attentive blue optics, the sudden smile spreading across the tiny face making him smile as well. "No, Thundercracker." He said softly, leaning his helm against the Seeker's shoulder. "Thank /_you_./"

"You have given me a perfect son." Thundercracker said, leaning against his mate so that Clouchaser could see them both. The sparkling cooed happily at the feel of both familiar energy fields. "He knows us." His spark felt full to overflowing with love for his entire family. "I love you. I love you /_both_/." he said quietly, voice shaking with could feel coolant well up in his optics, though it wasn't borne of sadness.

"Yeah." Sunstreaker's own voice was thick with his emotion, spark swelling as he tapped Cloudchaser's petite nose. The sparkling went cross-opticked for a moment before venting air sharply to clear his vents in a motion of what the humans would call a sneeze.

TC laughed at that through his tears and he wiped them away, unashamed here with his mate and son. "He is absolutely /_perfect_/." Thundercracker repeated. "And resembles you strongly."

"That's your fault." Sunstreaker grinned. "He'll be a sparkbreaker. Looking like me, that's a given." His chest puffed proudly.

"Perfection comes from you as well, love." TC teased. "Our next can resemble me, if you wish it." he said, actually serious.

"Next?"

"Do you not wish another sparkling?" Thundercracker asked, optics wide.

Sunstreaker blinked. "I... Never thought about it." He frowned. "I was so focused on just this one."

Thundercracker forced himself not to react. "My apologies." he finally said, stroking Sunny's shoulder. "I should not expect to discuss such a thing so soon after you separated Cloudchaser." Chaser, for his part, stuck his fist in his mouth and frowned at it when nothing came out.

Sunstreaker looked at his sparkling. "I just... I don't want to screw it up."

"You are not going to 'screw it up'. He is your child." Thundercracker said gently. "You love him, you wish only the best for him, correct?"

"He'll get the best." Sunstreaker said fiercely, suddenly vehement. "Anything and everything he needs and wants, it'll be his." His son WOULD have a better younglinghood than he and his brother did. "He won't want for anything. Not love, not attention, not toys... I'll do everything I have to."

"I know you will, because you will be a /_good_/...no, you will be an _excellent_ _kali_ to Chaser." TC reassured Sunstreaker. "He will be loved, cherished. I know you are capable of this. You are a good mech, Sunny, and I am happy beyond all reason that you are mine."

The golden mech nodded sharply, gently pulling his son's fist from his mouth to replace it with his finger so his sparkling could feed. "I have to be."

"You have to be what?" TC asked, still leaning close to Sunstreaker.

"I have to be what he needs." Sunstreaker said firmly, staring into the gold of his son's optics. "I have to be what I never had."

"Sunstreaker. Please look at me." Knowing that his mate would, Thundercracker continued. "Cloudchaser will not be abandoned like you and your twin were, and even should something happen to both of us, my trinemates would care for him as though he were their own." He didn't mention Sideswipe simply because if Sunstreaker were dead, so would he be. "You /_will_/ be all that he needs. You are his _kali_, his creator. And I trust and believe that you are up to the task. I believe in you, Sunstreaker."

Sunstreaker said nothing, too many emotions warring with each other. Cloudchaser's grip around his finger was easing slightly as a full tank and his parents' sparks began to lull the sparkling to recharge.

"Shall we recharge with him tonight, or in his berth?" Thundercracker whispered, seeing the fatigue in his mate's optics as well as in their son's.

"With us." There was no hesitation in Sunstreaker's answer. "I want him with us."

"All right." Thundercracker said, laying himself next to Sunstreaker and positioning Cloudchaser on top of his _kali_, right over his spark. The Halfer snuggled in close and let out a soft sigh, clearly content.

"Primus he's beautiful."

"Just like his _kali_." TC agreed.

"Sap." Sunstreaker repeated like so many times before. He was exhausted and now warm with his... his family. He felt something he hadn't in a very long time. He felt content.

"Recharge now." Thundercracker whispered. "Chaser has beaten us to it." He, too, felt incredibly good...safe, warm, /_loved_/. It was amazing how much had changed in so short a time, and Thundercracker wouldn't give any of it up. Not for the world.


End file.
